Crispell Hall first
to undergo
infrastructure
construction in Spring
2011 semester
Story on Page 5

The New
Paltz Oracle

University Police Blotter

Disclaimer: This is only a partial listing. For all incidents, please visit the University Police Department.
Location: BH
Female student reported that she
has received harassing phone calls
from her former boyfriend, a nonstudent. Victim advised to contact
phone company and change her
number. Victim also stated she will
sign a criminal complaint if subject
comes to New Paltz.

About
The New
Paltz Oracle
The New Paltz Oracle is the
official student newspaper of
SUNY New Paltz. Our circulation
is 3,000. The New Paltz Oracle is
sponsored by the Student Association and partially funded by
the student activity fee.
The New Paltz Oracle is located
in the Student Union, room 417.
Deadline for all submissions is 5
p.m. on Fridays in The New Paltz
Oracle office and by e-mail at
oracle@newpaltz.edu.
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turned in by 5 p.m. on Fridays,
unless otherwise specified by the
business manager. Community
announcements are published
gratuitously, but are subject to restriction due to space limitations.
There is no guarantee of publication. Contents of this paper cannot be reproduced without the
written permission of the editorin-chief.
The New Paltz Oracle is published weekly throughout the Fall
and Spring semesters on Thursday. It is available in all residence
halls and academic buildings, in
the New Paltz community and
online at oracle.newpaltz.edu. For
more information, call 845-2573030. The fax line is 845-257-3031.
The New Paltz Oracle holds assignment meetings every Sunday
at 7 p.m. in the Student Union,
room 418. Articles, photographs
and illustrations are assigned to
the pool of staff and contributors.

Incident: Trespassing
Date: 04/13/10
Location: CSB
Professor reported the camera on
his computer recorded a male in his
office after hours going through his
desk. Male subject identified as a
custodian who stated he was looking for a magnifying glass. Matter
referred to human resources.

oracle.
newpaltz.edu
Everyone is entitled to take one
free copy of The New Paltz Oracle.
If you need additional copies,
please contact the editor-in-chief at
x3030 or at oracle@newpaltz.edu

Cloudy
High: 56
Low: 42
Monday, April 19

Partly Cloudy
High: 60
Low: 46
Tuesday, April 20

Partly Cloudy
High: 63
Low: 47

The New Paltz Oracle

NEWS

Pg 3

Close Encounters of the Fur Kind

PHOTOS BY MAXIM ALTER

Black bears have been expanding their range throughout New York over the past two decades and can be found in a variety of developed areas. New Paltz residents should be aware.
By Maxim Alter
Copy Editor | Malter42@newpaltz.edu

Hold onto your picnic baskets: state environmental agencies warn that bears could be in close contact with Hudson
Valley residents this spring.
According to the official Department of Environmental
Conservation (DEC) Web site, more New Yorkers are encountering wild species than ever before. Because of the growth
of our population, many animal species, including bears, are
living in close proximity to humans.
Wildlife Biologist Matthew Merchant said there are approximately 2,500 to 3,000 bears in the Catskill area during the
spring. The month of June is also breeding season for bears,
which Merchant said causes them to move around more frequently and show up in neighborhoods.
Merchant said that in 2009, there were 387 bear complaints within Region 3, which covers Ulster, Dutchess, Sullivan, Orange, Rockland, Putnam and Westchester Counties.
He said the five-year average for Region 3 complaints is approximately 325 per year.
“The fluctuation we believe is due to environmental factors like natural food resources,” he said. “When those food
sources and water sources are scarce, bears become more common in areas around people.”
According to the DEC Web site, black bears have been
expanding their range throughout New York over the past two
decades and can be found in a variety of developed areas. The
Region 3 office, located at 21 South Putt Corners Rd. in New
Paltz, N.Y., is tasked with managing this as well as 200,000

acres of state land, forests and wildlife.
Merchant said about 80 percent of bear complaints are the
result of bears getting into household or restaurant dumpsters
and bird feeders in residential settings. However, in some rare
instances, Merchant said the state receives reports of bears that
have entered a person’s home or have killed small animals.
Brittany LaChausse, a fifth-year metals major who previously lived in Gardiner, N.Y., has seen bears going through her
trash in the morning and during evening hours.
“I was surprised because I didn’t know it was like that
here,” she said.
If ever in an encounter with a bear, Merchant said it is
important to not crowd or threaten it. However, if the bear does
not leave, he said it is important to be assertive.
“You can get a stick or use your backpack or even just
raise your hands and try to look big,” Merchant said. “Hopefully that will keep it from coming closer or maybe chase it
off… If those things don’t work, you should slowly back away.
Running isn’t a good idea, though, because that can initiate a
chase response.”
Another thing Merchant said he does not recommend is
“playing dead.”
“If they’re attacking, [playing dead] doesn’t sway them,”
he said. “They feed on carcasses and things like that all the time
anyway, and it just wouldn’t fool them or really stop them.”
Merchant said, when hiking, it is important that people go
in groups and make noise as they travel. By doing this, bears
are not taken by surprise and will be less likely to approach
you. If they do attack, though, Merchant said the best chance
of survival is to hit the bear in the face, preferably on its nose

Thursday, April 15, 2010

or eyes.
Merchant said it is also important that hikers and campers
do not have food, toothpaste, toiletries or anything that might
give off an odor inside of their tent. Instead, Merchant said
campers should use a “bear bag” or “bear canister,” which are
made for backpackers to put foodstuffs in and are sealed.
First-year undeclared student Josh Kusaywa said he had
a “frightening” encounter with a bear while camping in Lake
George, N.Y.
“I was sleeping and I heard a growling noise and saw a
shadowy figure. When my eyes adjusted, I realized it was a
bear,” he said. “I was terrified.”
In the summer, Merchant said bears generally dwell in areas with berry patches, and it is essential that hikers do not feed
them because when bears learn to obtain food from humans,
they can become bold and aggressive.
“Don’t get too close or throw any food to them,” Merchant said. “They’ll get used to that pretty quickly and start to
associate people with food. That would definitely be a negative
thing.”
According to the DEC Web site, many negative situations
with bears can be avoided through simple changes in human
behavior and safety measures. Because bears are an important
and natural component of New York’s ecosystem, the DEC
Web site said it is crucial that while we protect our property
and ourselves, “we help maintain and protect the bear population.”
“If you give [bears] space, that’s all they need,” Merchant
said. “They don’t want any encounters with people. They
would just as soon get away from you as fast as they can.”

Pg 4

NEWS

News
Briefs

The New Paltz Oracle

Budget Reviewed by Senate

National
Police in South Carolina say an argument between two motel guests ended
when one of the men was hit in the
head with a snake.
Rock Hill police say the victim told
officers that he argued Tuesday night
with 29-year-old Tony Smith over loud
music coming from Smith’s room.
The dispute appeared to be over, but
the man told police Smith walked up
to him several hours later with a 4-foot
python and hit him in the face with the
snake’s head.
*****
The U.S. military is testing high-tech
dirigibles in the skies over Utah that
are designed to detect cruise missiles
and other near-ground threats.
A 242-foot-long balloon-known as
an aerostat-was launched Wednesday
morning about 80 miles west of Salt
Lake City. Dugway Proving Ground
Spokeswoman Paula Nicholson said it
was pulled down a few hours later.
The dirigibles are outfitted with radar
and communications systems to provide long-range surveillance targeting threats from aircraft, ballistic and
cruise missiles.
Waltham, Mass.-based Raytheon Co.
was awarded a $1.4 billion contract
from the Army in 2007 to design, build
and test the aerostats.
*****
Airport officials say a lockdown at a
Tampa International Airport terminal
was caused by a police dog training
exercise.
An e-mail from TIA Spokeswoman
Brenda Geoghagan said a training tool
the canine team was using was unaccounted for in the Airside C terminal.
Officials closed the terminal while a
thorough search was conducted. They
eventually found the training tool, but
did not say what it was.

World Briefs, pg. 5

PHOTO BY FELICE BERNABO

John Mingione said it was not fair that the winner of the Battle of the Bands had no New Paltz students and wants change next year.
By Pamela Vivanco
Copy Editor | Pvivanco57@newpaltz.edu

At the latest meeting of the 49th student
senate, members of the body reviewed the
budget that was recently organized by the
Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) during
BFC weekend.
During BFC weekend, which began on
April 9, committee members allocated money
to on-campus clubs and organizations after
analyzing and discussing line item budget
request forms provided by each group. The
forms, which were due on March 25, contain
an organization’s budget requests for the next
term.
Vice President for Finance Yasmin El
Jamal said that all organizations will receive
notifications about the budget as well as the
opportunity to appeal before the legislative
body.
After looking over the budget, many
senators raised concerns about the money that
was allocated to different clubs and organizations.
Sen. Ruben Sanchez discussed his concern with the amount of money that Student
Association (SA) Productions was receiving.
Initially, SA Productions requested $150,000
from BFC, but were given $80,000.
Sen. Sanchez argued that an $80,000
budget is still high, despite the fact that SA
Productions is trying to get larger and more
popular acts and bands for students.
According to Sen. Sanchez, SA Productions has been a group of controversy amongst
the senate for the past four years.
“At one point $50,000 was considered lot
and now we’re giving them $80,000 and it’s
only going to progress from here,” he said.
Even though the senate was given the opportunity to review the budget, their job is not

to overturn the decisions made by the BFC
said Director of Student Activities and Union
Services Mike Patterson.
“The senate’s job is to review the BFC’s
decisions, review appeals and make decisions
based on those appeals to come up with a balanced budget at the end,” said Patterson. “It’s
not to overturn the BFC, it’s to review their
decision to make sure that they were ethical
decisions,” he said.
The legislative body will be listening to
appeals within the next couple of weeks and
vote on budgets for organizations who are
dissatisfied. Organizations will be given the
opportunity to clarify what they did not include in the line item budget sheet and answer
questions so the senators can make a thoughtful and accurately processed decision about
the budget.
Before the senate’s review of BFC, former student senator John Mingione stood
before the legislative body with a suggestion
regarding next year’s Battle of the Bands.
According to Mingione, the SUNY New
Paltz Battle of the Bands winners for this year
had no affiliation with the SUNY New Paltz
campus.
Although it was not part of the competition’s guidelines to be a student in SUNY
New Paltz, Mingione said “If SA Productions
is going to call this event ‘SUNY New Paltz
Battle of the Bands,’ I only think it would be
fair for at least one member of the band to attend the college or reside in New Paltz.”
Mingione also said that the winning
band, Meek and the Marksmen, are great
friends with Kaitlin Wagner (who put the
show together) and Victoria DiStefano, who
was one of the judges of the battle.
Mingione gave credit to the winning
band by calling them “very talented,” but ul-

Thursday, April 15, 2010

timately suggested that next year, the judging
should be completely unbiased to avoid suspicion or any speculation.
“With the Battle of the Bands, we are
giving students a major opportunity to play
with a famous and renowned band and I feel
it’s unfair to give that opportunity to strictly
non-New Paltz students,” said Mingione. “I
encourage a better, more fitting Battle of the
Bands for next year.”
Most of senate clapped and displayed
agreement with his suggestion at the end of
his speech.
In her report, SA President Stephanie
Samuel announced that the tickets for the senior ball will go on sale next week, costing
$10 for students and $20 for non-New Paltz
students.
Executive Vice President Abe Uchitelle
announced that he presented the gender-neutral declaration to the SUNY New Paltz president’s cabinet and “it sounds like they are seriously going to look into this.” According to
Uchitelle, upcoming on-campus construction
jobs do include converting single stalled bathrooms to gender-neutral status or designation.
Vice President for Academics and Governance Brenna Fearey announced that the
academic calendar was discussed in last
week’s faculty meeting, but not many students attended. She said “it was a really good
debate and a lot of people brought of excellent points.” She encourages all who have
opinions about the academic calendar to attend the discussion on May 13 at 10 a.m. in
Lecture Center 102.
Council of Organizations Chair Hana
Akimoto announced that elections for the
council will be held next Monday, April 19.
The next general meeting of the student
senate will be held on Tuesday, April 20.

Residential Life and Facilities Management proposed a plan to upgrade infrastructure for all five Hasbrouck residence halls
(Crispell, Deyo, LeFevre, Dubois, Bevier) and
Crispell will be the first to be renovated next
spring.
The construction will consist of upgrading outdated infrastructural elements (heating,
plumbing, electrical power, lighting, telecommunications, etc.), removing the remaining
asbestos containing material and installing a
sprinkler system throughout the facility for life
and safety concerns said Director of Facilities
Design & Construction John McEnrue.
“Because of these upgrades, and as an
added benefit, we will be providing all new
surfaces including new ceilings many walls
complete with fresh paint on all and new flooring throughout,” he said. “The facility will be
vastly improved.”
In addition, a hipped roof will replace the
flat roof that can be problematic said McEnrue.
“A hipped roof will decrease maintenance, provide protection of infrastructural elements to the facility (because they are placed
under the roof, as opposed to being exposed to
the elements on a flat roof), and improve the
overall aesthetics of the facility,” said McEnrue.
According to McEnrue, the renovations
are important for safety and service maintenance. Construction is scheduled to last for
seven months, from the end of December
through July. Students living in Crispell will
be relocated to other halls on campus during
the December break.
Second-year undeclared student Angela
Devivo said she is concerned that the renova-

News
Briefs
World
Discount clothing retailer Primark
will stop selling padded bikini bras
for children following criticism in a
tabloid newspaper.
The retailer acted after The Sun
newspaper put a story criticizing the
product on its front page Wednesday.

PHOTO BY FELICE BERNABO

Starting next December, Crispell will be the first residence hall to be renovated.
tion could be an inconvenience.
“They take like 8,000 years to renovate.
How many years has Old Main been under
construction?” she said. “I don’t think they’re
going to relocate everybody successfully but I
guess renovations have to happen eventually.”
McEnrue said that SUNY New Paltz generally experiences a drop of approximately
200 students living in all its residential halls
every spring semester.
“200 also happens to be the approximate
population of Crispell Hall, so this population
drop will allow us to absorb students into other
campus residential halls that were previously
living in Crispell Hall in the fall semester,” he
said.

McEnrue also said that relocation is
“unfortunately the only option,” but also the
spring semester is the most convenient time.
Beginning the construction during the spring
semester also gives contractors the opportunity to continue the construction throughout
the summertime.
“The amount of work that needs to be
done is extensive so we will need every month
between January 2011 and August 2011 to perform the renovation,” McEnrue said.
Deyo Hall will be the next hall to go under construction. The other residential halls
will follow, one at a time, in the following
years and will receive many of the same improvements as Crispell.

The Constitution and Rules Committee has recently drafted
legislation that could change the current structure of the Council
of Organizations for years to come.
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Governance Brenna
Fearey said that they aim to create a “house delegates” committee
that is compiled of the council chair, the house delegates and a
senator liaison. The committee will be responsible for allocating
office space, reviewing and approving charters, a bi-weekly report to senate, suggesting legislation to senate, holding two office
hours a week and meeting with their appropriate houses and chair
discussions during council meetings.
According to Council Chair Hana Akimoto, while the changes are not drastic, they will emphasize house structure and will
make it easier for each of the current six houses to be given equal
representation at Council Round Table.
The new legislation will give each of the current six houses,
which consist of Academic, Advocacy, Athletics, Media, Performing, and Cultural, a leader to represent them. By appointing each
house a leader, Akimoto hopes that it will make it easier for her to
talk about “council business” by having the leaders of each house
meet, rather than Akimoto having to talk to everyone separately.

Both Akimoto and Fearey said the new legislation will be
helpful to the current structure.
“As I’ve said in the past, Council of Orgs is a difficult animal,” Feary said. “It is ever changing with circulating faces but
the thing is that it is a forum for very important information to be
passed along to all the clubs and orgs… If they are given an active
role and opportunity to participate, mistakes that are made when
senate passes a bylaw that hinders a club or anything along those
lines we can stop it with foresight rather than hindsight.”
Elections for the leaders of each house will be done through
the houses, allowing each of them to have equal representation,
which has been an issue in the current Council according to Akimoto.
“We are hoping to empower the council and give the students
who are required to attend opportunities for leadership and a voice
in governance.” Fearey said
The legislation could be passed whenever Fearey brings it
to the student senate, which she hopes to do before the semester
ends. However, she wants to have a finished constitution and bylaws before doing so.
“These changes will hopefully give these club and organization members more opportunity to be an active voice and part of
Student Association and the decisions that are made which can
and will impact them” Fearey said.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

In a statement, Primark said it has
noted concern about the product and
would immediately cease selling it.
The company said the product was offered only in its U.K. stores, and that it
would donate any past profits from the
product line to a children’s charity.
*****
The Dutch Defense Ministry said a
military transport plane has picked up
10 suspected Somali pirates arrested at
sea and is flying them to the Netherlands to await transfer to Germany.
The pirates were arrested April 5 by
Dutch special forces marines who
slid down ropes from a helicopter to
recapture the seized German container
ship MV Taipan.
The pirates hijacked the ship earlier in
the day about 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of Somalia.
*****
Britain is holding its first U.S.-styled
televised political debates-and bookies
are taking bets on who will sweat or
stumble first.
The three showdowns begin Thursday,
adding even more suspense to the
country’s most unpredictable election
in decades.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the
Labour Party, Conservative leader
David Cameron and Nick Clegg of the
Liberal Democrats will take audience
questions on issues such as crime and
health care. The following debates on
April 22 and April 29 will focus on
foreign policy issues and the economy,
the most significant of all issues in the
May 6 election.

Gas companies want to drill in the Marcellus Shale, a geological region extending
from southern New York through Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Ohio, which
is the second largest natural gas field in the
world. Some residents of the Hudson Valley
and New York City are concerned that the
process of extracting the gas could pollute
the water supply.
The complaints center on the hydraulic
fracturing process used to force the gas out of
the ground, commonly referred to as hydrofracking, because other areas with natural
gas drilling have experienced sudden raises
in the levels of benzene and other hazardous
chemicals. Proponents say that the risks are
minimal, while the benefits are enormous.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC),
the Marcellus Shale contains between 168
and 516 trillion cubic feet of natural gas,
which would be enough to supply all of the
United States’ natural gas needs for several
years. The Marcellus Shale region includes
most of Ulster County.
Hydro-fracking works by pumping a
mixture of water, sand and various chemical
additives into fractures underground where
the gas is located. The pressure forces the gas
up a pipe where it is collected by the drilling
company. According to the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), only 20 to 30 percent of the fluid used for hydro-fracking is
collected at the surface. The rest is lost, flowing away underground, where it can leak into
aquifers used for the water supply. The DEC
requires all drillers to properly dispose of
their waste water, but state regulations have
been ignored by gas companies elsewhere.
The EPA announced last month that they
would be holding a nationwide study of the

safety of hydro-fracking. Congressman Maurice Hinchey recently introduced the FRAC
ACT, which would put gas drilling back under the regulatory control of the EPA.
New Paltz NYPIRG Project Coordinator Ariana Basco said she does not believe
hydro-fracking is safe.
“It’s definitely bad for the environment,”
Basco said. “It’s not good to be stuffing the
ground with chemicals. I feel like it doesn’t
take a scientist to figure that out.”
Most of the gas companies have not released the ingredients of their fracking fluids,
saying that the mixture constitutes a trade secret. 10 states have required drillers to disclose the chemicals in the mixture, including
Pennsylvania.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the fluid
contains hydrochloric acid, dazomet and
other hazardous components. According to
Energy in Depth, a lobby organization of energy companies, the toxic materials make up
too small a portion of the mixture to harm
humans.
Chris Tucker, a spokesman for Energy
in Depth, said that drilling in the Marcellus
Shale would have far-reaching economic
benefits.
“We’re talking about a clean-burning
energy resource that can quite literally put
hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to
work, and generate several billion dollars in
annual revenue,” Tucker said.
Others say money could be better invested in renewable energy sources, such as
solar or wind. Kevin Bone is the editor of
the book “Water-Works: The Architecture
and Engineering of the New York City Water
Supply.”
“If the extraction process [of natural gas]
is factored into this and one considers the
risk to water, the damage to landscape, the
industrialization of rural environments, the

PHOTO COURTESY GEOLOGY.COM

The Marcellus Shale is the second-largest natural gas pocket in the world.
pollution that goes along with the production
of these facilities and the billions of dollars
that will be invested in making this natural
gas happen,” Bone said, “then this energy
money might be better used elsewhere.”
Because the New York City watershed
is within the Marcellus Shale region, some
are concerned that waste water from hydrofracking could pollute the city’s water supply.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection released a statement last

December saying that hydro-fracking could
not be done safely within the watershed.
“It’s a very complex process that involves a lot of chemicals and if there’s even a
1 percent chance of an accident, then there’s
a danger to the water supply,” Bone said.
“And a 1 percent chance may sound like a
very slim chance of an accident but think of,
for example, air travel. If we tolerated a 1
percent chance of an accident, it would be a
disaster.”

The senior class of 2010 has started the Senior Gift
Project this April, giving all proceeds to the Textbook
Collection in the Sojourner Truth Library (STL).
Beginning in 2008, the Senior Gift Project’s first purchase was a bench in honor of that year’s senior class.
The following year the class donated funds to the Certificates of Thanks to the scholarship funds.
With the brand new Textbook Collection at STL, the
senior class believes that the most appropriate gift this
year would be to assist to that growing foundation. Since
students are currently finding it more and more difficult to
buy textbooks with rising prices, the Textbook Collection
is a beneficial step for helping students loan out textbooks
for a short period of time at the library.
“Graduating seniors have the opportunity to give
back to SUNY New Paltz, a place that has given them so

much, in the form of $5 Gift Certificates of Thanks,” said
Victoria Nichols, a fourth-year anthropology major who
works in the Development Office on campus. “These Gift
Certificates of Thanks honor professors, parents, mentors
or peers who supported or inspired our classmates here at
SUNY New Paltz. The Gift Certificate of Thanks will be
mailed to the honoree and also acknowledged in the May
2010 commencement program.”
These Certificates of Thanks can be purchased by
graduating seniors at the Campus Bookstore, Haggerty
Administration Building room 501 or through Hawk Dollars at the ID/Meal Plan Office. They can also be bought
online at newpaltz.edu/foundation/graduatesgift.html.
“We are anticipating that we could raise up to $4,000,”
said Nichols.
The senior class will be staying in contact with the
library and the Textbook Collection in order to know
what textbooks they plan on purchasing for the upcoming
school year. They also plan to put labels in the textbooks

Thursday, April 15, 2010

that are purchased with the gift campaign’s proceeds in
order to acknowledge the senior class of 2010 for their
help.
“As a graduating senior myself, I believe that the senior class gift is a wonderful way to give back to SUNY
New Paltz,” said Avital Cohen, a fourth-year organizational communication major. “It is a win-win situation.
Graduating students have an option to thank those who
were influential to their college experience while simultaneously leaving a legacy.”
“In our opinion there is no better way to show our
gratitude to the SUNY New Paltz community then to give
back in the form of textbooks, which are essential in the
educational development of each and every student,” said
Nichols. “We believe that this project only adds to the
generous spirit that already exists here. The program allows for a venue of appreciation not only between personally connected individuals but also between the graduating class and the college community as a whole.”

The Village Board meeting on April
14 found New Paltz students clamoring
for attention at the prospect of the passage
of the recently proposed New Paltz Noise
Law.
The law has caused a stir particularly
in the student community, with many feeling that their rights are being infringed
upon. To combat the legislation, Village
Board Trustee Brian Kimbiz urged students to attend the Village Board meeting
to make their opinions known.
“You do not need to be an expert on
the proposal, well versed on the law, or
even a comfortable public speaker. You
just need to express to the board how you
feel on this subject. The public comment
portion of a Village Board meeting is an
avenue for you to voice any concerns you
may have to the Board,” he wrote in a
Facebook note addressed to members of
the “Say NO to the New Paltz Noise Ordinance” group.
And they listened.
Village Hall was packed and the overwhelming majority of constituents were
students.
Citizens discussed the pending Village Budget and an upcoming grant opportunity that could lead to an improvement before public comment on the Noise
Law began. Any person who wished to
speak was relegated three minutes by the
Board to say their piece. Cross discussion
was not allowed and the Village Board
members were not to respond to any of the
comments made.
One of the first people to speak was
Rick Birmingham, a former audio engi-

PHOTO BY ALEC HOROWITZ

Village Hall was filled with students discussing the noise law Wednesday night.
neer with experience mixing over 2000
concerts, who called the proposed decibel
levels in the legislation “ridiculous and
unattainable.” He brought a decibel meter to the meeting and told the Board that
even their relatively quiet announcements
to the audience came in at 54 dB.
Many students presented a sentiment
of fear about the vague nature of the enforcement laws put forward in the original
draft, the severity of the fines associated
with violations and verbiage that seemed
to target college culture in New Paltz.
“Being loud is not criminal,” said
fourth-year media management major

George Selby.
But a draft of an enforcement amendment that is available on the Village of
New Paltz Web site more clearly outlines
the enforcement process. It breaks down
infractions into minor and major categories. First time offenders would be given
warnings and fines would not be issued until a second violation. Fines in the amendment were lower than the initial draft coming in at the $50-$300 range rather than
$250-$1000.
“Enforcement of the existing noise
law has been subject to much criticism by
tenants and home owners, in that as the

law is written, it is too vague and enforcement, consequently, is not consistent,” said
Mayor Terry Dungan in an e-mail regarding the enforcement amendment.
“Concerns have also been raised that
the existing law is draconian, in that it immediately and without consideration for
mitigating circumstances, imposes heavy
fines, which are not appropriate for all circumstances.”
Many older community members expressed a desire to inform students about
how they felt living in a college town
“I think common respect and not
bring parties outside is important,” said
New Paltz resident Karen Soble. “The issue is the volume and the duration not who
you are.”
Other residents echoed similar sentiments.
“The noise is too much. It’s too loud
and goes on for too long,” said Robert
Brushforth, another New Paltz resident.
But some students brought solutions
to the Board including student representation on future community task forces and
community service hours instead of fines.
Ultimately though, whether they were
for or against the legislation, both sides
agreed that this was an issue of respect
and tolerance throughout the entire community.
“It is not possible to legislate consideration and good will. At the end of the
day, as in any relationship, good relations
between neighbors depend on a mutual,
respectful determination to get along
well,” said Dungan. “In those instances
where neighbors are unwilling or unable
to establish a workable relationship, a well
written law can serve as a baseline for
peaceful coexistence.”

School of Business Gives Awards

By Pete Thompson

Sports Editor | Pthompson51@newpaltz.edu

The SUNY New Paltz School
of Business recently named the
2010 recipients of its annual
awards for exceptional service
and teaching. The honorees include Dr. Chih-Yang Tsai for the
Distinguished Service Award, Dr.
Davina Vora for the Distinguished
Teaching Award and Danielle Semenchuk for the Staff Service
Award.
The awards, created in 2008,
were established as a means of
rewarding faculty and staff members who show extraordinary
performance in their given area.
While one was created for the
staff member who makes the biggest difference in the students’
lives, two have been allotted for

teachers.
“We expect all faculty members to be good teachers and
make a significant difference in
the education of the students,”
said School of Business Dean
Hadi Salavitabar.
Subsequently, one professor
is awarded for exceptional service to the department, while the
other is for going over and above
the normal teaching abilities and
methods.
Vora, recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award, employs simulation, group exercises
and new technologies – such as
clickers – into her international
business classes, putting her students in interactive situations
rather than reading a chapter in a
textbook. Salavitabar said Vora’s

effective performance makes her
one of the school’s best faculty
members.
“I was surprised because I’m
fairly new,” Vora, who’s been at
SUNY New Paltz since the fall
’07 semester, said on receiving
the reward, “but happy that students and faculty are appreciative
of my teaching methods, which
are really untraditional.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Tsai – currently in his 17th
year at the college – is being recognized for his excellent service.
An associate dean and advisor
for the Student Organization for
Business Ethics and Research
(SOBER), Tsai is also responsible
for bringing speakers such as former Gov. Eliot Spitzer to campus.
“I do my best to be forward

Thursday, April 15, 2010

thinking and very focused on our
mission,” he said of his lessons
and methods, “and empathetic
when dealing with people, especially students.”
Finally, although not a professor, Director of Business Projects Danielle Semenchuk still
has a direct impact on students’
education. Aside from the Hall of
Fame event, Semenchuk organizes the student debates and Business Plan Contest, among other
things.
“It’s great,” Semenchuk,
who’s been a staff member for
three years, said of the honor. “It’s
also important hearing it from the
students and alumni.”
She is also a part of the dean’s
student advisory board, which is
comprised of a group of students

who inform Salavitabar on how to
make the school better.
“She’s the one who really assists me in making a difference
for the students,” Salavitabar said.
The recipients will be honored alongside exceptional students at the School of Business’s
Annual Award Ceremony in the
Coykendall Science Building on
May 7. A plaque of the honorees
will be on display in Van Den
Berg Hall for a year, until next
year’s recipients are rewarded.
The plaques will then be placed in
each member’s respective office,
but their name will remain on the
wall where it was. The school
also provides the recipients with
additional funding for professional development activities, such as
training and conferences.

Pg 8

NEWS

The New Paltz Oracle

A Closer Look at SEIs

By Sarah Calandra Fine

Staff Writer | Sfine55@newpaltz.edu

Each semester, Mary Anne Landolina of
the college’s Office of Institutional Research
purchases $300 worth of pencils, compiles
about 2,000 packets and 20,000 pieces of
paper and begins the process of alerting the
faculty at SUNY New Paltz that the twice-ayear faculty evaluation is beginning.
These packets contain the Student Evaluation of Instruction (SEI) forms on which
students complete a numerical, computerized
evaluation of their instructors’ performance
with an optional comment area on the back.
Every full- and part-time faculty member has
the option of having the survey completed by
students.
The forms are then returned in a sealed
envelope and administrators work through
the data to figure out cumulative statistics
on the performance of each instructor at the
university as well as individual departments.
The data is used as one of the key measures in
the reappointment of instructors, the granting
of tenure or permanent appointment, and in
the doling out of merit raises.
“All the research results show that the
SEIs can tell us a lot about teaching effectiveness,” said Provost and Academic Vice President Donald Christian. “They’re something
we pay close attention to.”
Instructors are not required to participate
in SEIs. However, reappointment, tenure and
merit are not possible without any participation.
An investigation made by the fall 2009
muckraking journalism class discovered that
many students do not understand the purpose
of SEIs and that some instructors questioned
their use as an effective tool.
Former SUNY New Paltz Provost David
K. Lavallee, who is now an administrator at
SUNY’s central administration in Albany,
said that the current SEIs are not the best
measure of evaluating a professor.
“It is the only standard way for students
to have any input. However, they can be improved,” he said.
One problem Lavallee addressed related
to the questions themselves.
“Questions aren’t as clear as they could
be. Students are not sure how to interpret the
answers,” said Lavallee.
Gerald Benjamin, Associate Vice President for Regional Engagement, called students “extraordinarily generous” in how
they rate professors. He joked that a faculty
member would have to be “drunk, slobbering, half naked” to get a very bad evaluation.
He agreed that it is only one tool, but called
it important, and said “if you weren’t a good
teacher, nothing else matters.”
The Academic Affairs Committee at
New Paltz is looking at ways to clarify questions and make the SEIs a better tool. Lavallee said that one solution they are looking into
involves separating the questions that would
be used for teaching and those that would be
used for tenure and salary decisions.

Some students said they don’t understand the importance of the SEIs, and have
no idea what their teacher evaluations are being used for.
“I don’t really take the SEIs seriously,”
said fourth-year organizational communication major Jon Capetta. “If I really don’t like
a teacher, I’ll use the SEI to say that. I guess
if I feel extreme either way about a teacher,
then I take it seriously.”
Some administrators, such as Provost
and Academic Vice President Christian, said
that the SEIs should be only one part of a
larger evaluation. Instructors are also judged
on their research, their administrative service
and their advising of students. And instructors are sometimes observed in class.
“I think it’s unfortunate that some people
may think about their being one single magic
number we can use,” Christian said. “In faculty work, teaching and learning are far more
complex than that. And so we need to develop a composite picture using a log of different measures of teaching effectiveness.”
Richard Kelder has been at the college
for 27 years and is currently the representative of United University Professions, which
represents faculty.
Teaching, he said, is “a multi-dimensional endeavor” which takes “more than one
instrument” to judge. He added that he fears
the SEI can “limit risk-taking” by instructors
since they might worry about getting bad
evaluations.
Hadi Salavitabar, dean of the Business
School, was the chair of the task force on the
original committee which consulted 30 different universities across the country to get
information and create the SEI form used
today.
“If you look at the SEI now, what does
it say on the top of it? Does it say ‘form B?’
Does anyone ask where ‘form A is?’” asked
Salavitabar.
Salavitabar said the SEI form used to
be one tool in a larger system of evaluation.
Salavitabar and his committee compiled a
packet of materials to evaluate teachers similar to what colleges across the country use.
The packet consisted of the current SEI form
used today, form B, as well as a form A and
other sections including a self-evaluation and
a peer evaluation.
Currently, the only results of the SEIs
available online are the results for the entire
college. The results for individual professors are not available. There has been discussion about administering the SEIs online
but nothing has been said specifically about
regularly making the results public. Some
other universities are now starting to do this,
although no area colleges have moved in this
direction.
Additional reporting by Emily Atkin,
Emily Herendeen, Ben Horney, Pierce Lydon, Emily MacBrien, Dana Morris, Devon
Pope, Jaime Prisco, Casey Quinlan, George
Selby, Sam Speer, Allison Summers, Allison
Thompson, Christopher Valdez, Anthony
Vecchariello and Marcy Velte.

PHOTO COURTESY SUNY NEW PALTZ

Some say that SEIs alone are not sufficient for measuring the quality of an instructor.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Pg 8New Paltz Oracle
The

The New Paltz Oracle
Pg 9

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Chabad @ New Paltz Presents
Shabbat 118!
April 16
7:19 p.m. at SUNY New Paltz
Honors Center in College Hall
There is a candle lighting at 7:19 p.m.
followed by services at 7:45 p.m. and
dinner at 8:30 p.m. Bring a friend. Bring
10 friends! Share in the celebration of
life as we welcome the Shabbat Queen.
Sixth Annual
Symposium on Energy:
The Energy Highway
April 16
8 a.m. at the The Links
at Erie Village
“Efficient, Secure, Reliable and Environmentally Sensitive Transmission and
Distribution of Electricity” will feature
Dr. Rhea Jezer, chair at “The Links at
Erie Village.” The fee is $40. For more
information and to register, go to www.
cazenovia.edu/energy.
“Transilluminations”
Opening Reception
April 17
6 p.m. at the M Gallery in Catskill
“Transilluminations” is a show of photographic images printed on various
media including backlit transparencies,
metal and traditional paper. Woodstock
photographer Jonas Caufield will display his subjects - transvestites, drag
queens and androgynous alternative
fashionistas – in an intimate setting
along Main Street, Catskill. Caufield,
photographing under his pseudonym
Jack Flack, captured these images from
underground clubs, nightlife events and
nightlife personalities from New York,
London and the Hudson Valley. “Transilluminations” will focus on the concept
of gender identity and sexuality in dress.
The subjects and the illuminated images
themselves will shine light on the observer and our concept of non traditional self expression in relation to gender
roles.
Relay for Life
April 17
12 p.m. to 12 a.m. at
SUNY New Paltz
American Cancer Society’s fundraiser
for cancer research, prevention and pa-

tient services. For more information,
visit
www.relayforlife.org/sunynewpaltz.
“We the People: A Forum to
Defend Democracy”
April 18
4 p.m. at Lecture Center Rm. 100
A forum to inspire and mobilize citizens
to counter the recent Supreme Court
decision (Citizens United v. FEC) that
overturned a century of law and which
now allows unlimited corporate contributions towards influencing our elections. The Honorable Maurice Hinchey
(NY CD22) will give the keynote. His
talk will focus on the need for publicly
financed elections to restore voters as
the center of the electoral process. The
panel of experts will include: Margery
F. Baker, vice president of People for
the American Way, John Bonifaz, director of Free Speech for People and Legal
Director of Voter Action (Free Speech
for People is a consortium of public service organizations including Public Citizen, Center for Corporate Policy, Voter
Action, and more), Joan Mandle, PhD,
executive director of Democracy Matters. The event is free. Sponsored by the
Hudson Valley Progressive Coalition,
Ulster County MoveOn Council, SUNY
New Paltz, Democracy Matters and the
Ulster County Democratic Committee.
For more information, please contact
Barbara Upton: anahatasun@aol.com
“Economic Crisis: the Hit Men
Strike Home, What Next and
How to Deal with It.”
April 22
7 p.m. at the SUNY New Paltz
Lecture Center, Room 100
John Perkins, New York Times Bestselling Author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and The Secret History
of the American Empire, will be speaking at SUNY New Paltz, April 22 at 7
p.m. in Lecture Hall 100. He will discuss
how our current economic crisis offers an
opportunity for transformation and describes ways each of us can employ our
individual passions and skills to prosper.
Admission is free. If you are a person
with a disability who will require accommodations, please contact Zach Dreyfuss
at npeconomicsclub@gmail.com.

14th Annual New Paltz
Clean Sweep
April 24
8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Clean Sweep is a great way to help
make the community sparkle by giving
it a fresh spring cleaning. Have fun and
join area business owners, residents,
local politicians, community organizations, and schools to tidy up the parks,
sidewalks and streets of New Paltz.
There are two ways to sign up for this
event: individually or with a group. You
must sign up no later than Friday, April
16! To sign up individually, please email Erica Wagner at wagnere@newpaltz.edu with your name, e-mail, phone
number and class year. To sign up with
a group, please e-mail Erica Wagner
at wagnere@newpaltz.edu with your
name, e-mail, phone number, class year
and the name of your group.
The Little Rebellion
Launch Party
April 29
7 p.m. at SUNY New Paltz
College Terrace
Join the staff of The Little Rebellion as
they celebrate the launch of their Web
site, TheLittleRebellion.com. Food and
drink will be served.
“Celebration of Writing”
April 30
3 to 5 p.m. at SUNY New Paltz
“Celebration of Writing” will be held
on April 30 from 3 to 5 p.m. Students
are asked to submit writing samples
and read an excerpt of their writing at
the event. Awards are given for the best
writing in each category. We encourage
submissions from students in all disciplines, including science, technology,
social science, art, history, education or
other disciplines where writing provides
a necessary analysis tool. We welcome
critical reviews of arts and cultural activity, social and political analyses,
news stories, book reviews and science
reports. Of course, we welcome creative
fiction, drama and verse. Additional information and the 2010 COW application can be found at www.newpaltz.edu/
WritingBoard/#events.

To submit an announcement, write down the name of the club/event, date, time and location. Then e-mail it to
oracle@newpaltz.edu. All submissions are due by Sunday at 5 p.m. Submissions are printed at the discretion of the editor-in-chief.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

OASIS
OASIS is a student-staffed counseling and crisis intervention
center and telephone hotline.
OASIS volunteers are trained
and supervised by the Psychological Counseling Center to respond to anonymous telephone
calls and walk-in requests for
support, information and referral. Peer crisis intervention is
provided in college-related areas
such as academic stress, loneliness, sexual orientation, suicide,
drug and alcohol-related problems, relationship and family
conflicts.
OASIS, located in the Deyo
Hall basement, room G13C, is
open from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. while
classes are in session, and the extension is x4945.

HAVEN
HAVEN of OASIS is the student-staffed hotline and walk-in
center, supervised by the Psychological Counseling Center.
HAVEN volunteers provide support, information and referral
for students who have been the
target of rape, attempted rape or
any unwanted sexual experience.
HAVEN is located in the Deyo
Hall basement, room G13c and is
open from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. while
classes are in session, and the extension is x4930.
Call or stop in when classes are
in session. The 24-hour HAVEN
beeper is 845-455-6093.

Campus
Escort
Call x3338 for an escort from
anywhere on campus to anywhere on campus. 9 p.m. to
2 a.m. every night. Not a taxi
service — for safety, not for the
lazy!

Safe Rider
Need a ride home from the bars?
We provide FREE rides home or
back to campus please give me a
call at 845-834-2213.

Replacing the voice boxes of various GI
Joe and Barbie dolls, apologizing on behalf of
large chemical companies for 20-year-old gas
leak disasters on international television and
claiming that McDonald’s is introducing a line
of burgers made from recycled feces are just a
few of the pranks the Yes Men have pulled in
order to create a larger awareness of important
issues. On April 14, Yes Men member Andy Bichlbaum visited SUNY New Paltz to inspire the
student community to do the same.
Bichlbaum began his presentation with
a video of a news report that aired on BBC
World in 2004. It was the 20th anniversary of
the Bhopal gas leak disaster and the Yes Men
had finagled their way on the air to take full responsibility for the tragedy as representatives
of Dow Chemical after creating a bogus Dow
Ethics Web site. The report aired on live TV and
Dow’s stock prices were automatically affected.
Bichlbaum believes this is a very telling sign.
“You let the stock market decide what’s
right and it will punish companies for doing
what’s right and reward them for doing what’s
wrong,” he said.
Bichlbaum explained the Yes Men’s unique
brand of activism to the students in attendance
who filled nearly half of Lecture Center room
100. Students were eager to pick his brain.

Students expressed concern about the
legality of these types of pranks after being
shown a video where the Yes Men held a fake
press conference as the United States Chamber
of Commerce that has led to a lawsuit for the
duo.
“We’re probably breaking laws,” he said,
“but we don’t know.”
Bichlbaum chronicled the activities of other activists he admired and showed students that
through the Yes Men’s methods, change is possible. He introduced the crowd to the Yes Lab
that lists most of the Yes Men’s secrets to their
type of activism.
“Yeah there might be risks but a. it’s super
important and b. it’s fun,” he said. “…There’s
nothing special about it. Anyone can do it.”
Some of the Yes Men’s upcoming work
includes using the Yes Lab, a Web site, to
build new teams to carry out certain projects.
Although Bichlbaum couldn’t speak in detail
about them, he mentioned they would be focused on the areas of racial justice, mountaintop
removal and “an east Asian nation.”
But the presentation offered no more insight into the activities of the Yes Men than their
documentary film parlty due to the fact that it
broke out into a heated discussion between students and a lone Village Board member about
the proposed local noise law. Sounds like a job
for the Yes Men.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THECHANGEYOUWANTTOSEE.COM

Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men paid a visit to the university to discuss his past pranks.

Job Fair Brings Hope to Students

By Barbara Martin

Contributing Writer | Bmartin08@newpaltz.edu

A student must ask himself if he is
working for money, experience, or both.
Thus, one can continue their college
education, with some money in their
pocket, until career permanence begins.
This is one of the main purpose’s
for the Networking Fair for Jobs and
Internships which New Paltz held this
past Tuesday in the Lecture Center lobbies. Students dressed nicely despite the
90 degree weather and went from table
to table trying to make an impression.
For most students, it was their first time
attending a job fair, or at least their first
one at New Paltz.
Quite a few representatives, including the Employment Coordinator
at Mohonk Mountain House, Shawn
Clark, made a point in relaying their relationship with the school and how New
Paltz students have continued to be beneficial to them. Most of the businesses
had no major requirement or discrimination based on age. The main characteristics that businesses were looking
for included background knowledge
of the company, acceptable attire and a
team player attitude.
“I’ve never had too hard a time finding a job,” said Kim Flood, fourth-year
sociology major, who had never been
to the job fair before. She recently was
laid off from her part-time job at a day
care center. “The center has been losing
kids and they had to make cutback on

Thursday, April 15, 2010

the part-time workers.”
Looking around at all the different tables, it seemed that the problem
wasn’t so much finding a job, but rather
keeping a job through the cutbacks that
many companies have been forced to
make. For a college student, who will
accept minimum wage, options are
available. Internships, paid internships,
full time and part time positions were
all available opportunities. Since New
Paltz is a liberal arts school, the jobs being offered are more oriented towards
the public sector. They are exploratory
jobs which provide opportunity for networking and job experience over anything else.
Jamie Meinsen, a second-year anthropology major, was working at a
warehouse up until a few weeks ago.
“At first they starting cutting hours, and
then they tried to put me ‘off the books,’
so I left.”
She is now doing work study as a
student assistant at the library.
The campus provides opportunities
of employment to students so that they
don’t have to compete with other prospective employees in the job market,
until they have completed their college
education. Students are able to learn
basic skills such as organization skills,
leadership skills and time management,
but the seemingly overall concern in
maintaining one of these jobs is the
short term money it will offer.

FEATURES | 3B

The New Paltz Oracle

New Paltz Jams Asian Style
DANCERS AND FREE-STYLING BEARS, OH MY!

By Jon Aiello

Cartoonist | n01717845@newpaltz.edu

There is something strangely alluring about
a free-styling panda, as anyone at Jam Asia 2010
will tell you. The show, which has been a proud
tradition at New Paltz for over a decade, strives to
raise awareness of Asian cultures as well as showcase some of the hidden talent on campus.
The acts this year included several dance numbers, fashion shows, and performances of the musical and martial arts, and were organized according to the show’s central theme of seasons. There
were many returning performers from previous
years, as well as appearances by Jam Asia alums
Samantha
Huang,
Michael “Paz” Pascua,
and
Linda
Nguyen, whose work
on the show in the
past has helped shape
Jam Asia into the exciting event we enjoy
today.
Jam Asia 2010
was kicked off by
the above-mentioned
dancing panda, who
had been making
appearances around
campus in anticipation of the event.
After a brief introduction by the copresidents Mariam
Haris, a third-year international relations
major, and Winnie
Ouyang, a third-year
math major, the audience was placed introduced to host Steve Ollennu.
Ollennu’s energetic introductions and bottomless
supply of Jam Asia swag kept everyone glued to
their seats from beginning to end, intermission included.
The instrumental and singing performances
were a nice mix of traditional music and modern
ballads. Anny Peng delivered a moving performance with her song “Ding Dang (Why Do You
Lie?).” Also noteworthy was the otherworldly
piano piece “Swapnum (Dream)” performed by
David Samuel, a fourth-year biology major.
There was a wide range of fashion shows this
year, again nodding to traditional roots as well as
exploring several Asian sub-cultures. A Traditional Night showed us some breathtaking traditional
fashions from all over Asia and the Pacific coast,
made possible with the help of the Chinese Student Association (CSA) and the Southeast Asian
Cultural Association (SACA). In addition to the
Anime club’s Cosplay performance were two
shows looking at Japan’s counter-culture fashion
scene. Audience members were also introduced to
the unique vision of “Jam Asia Couture,” by Carmen Siu, a second-year visual arts major, which
investigates origami, chopsticks and ramen as a
fashion statement.
The main event of the Jam Asia show has al-

ways been the impressive dance numbers put on
by clubs and students, and this year didn’t disappoint. The dazzling costumes and hypnotic
movements of the Indian dancers is a main event
in itself, and on that count Chandermukhi dance
by Sushma Kasinathan, a third-year biology major, and the “Nachle New Paltz!” Team’s debut
number outdid every Jam Asia to date. Keeping
up the pedigree were several K-pop dance teams,
whose tight choreography and slick presentation
could compete with today’s hottest music videos.
The energy that came through in each of the
acts this year is a testament to the time and effort
put in by every Jam Asia participant. Each year
the Jam Asia club
spends months organizing the show,
practicing choreography, designing
art and promotional
materials and recruiting new talent
wherever they can
find it. The weekly meetings are a
poor representation
of the time spent
on the show, with
many Jam Asia
members working
through their spare
time in the weeks
before the main
event.
“It’s really exciting to see this
just explosive end
result after all the
work we put in.”
said Vice President Angela Tso, a third-year double-major in accounting and finance. “It’s like
a miracle in the end. Like the miracle of birth.
And it’s been a hard labor,” said Co-President
Mariam Haris.
When asked what the hardest part of the
show is, Tso replied: “The hardest part is organizing people… just, hundreds of people!” The Jam
Asia team does have to manage the extra staff,
DJs, video crews, as well as their own students.
They also receive performers and funding from a
number of groups on campus.
This year, Jam Asia was benefited by cooperation from the CSA, Muslim Student Association, Asian Student Association, SACA, and the
Anime club. But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t
use more help.
“We want everyone who feels like joining
to come next year. Students definitely, but clubs
too!” Mariam said.
The Jam Asia team wants to emphasize that
everyone who wants to help out is welcome, regardless of race or ethnic background. Jam Asia
is all about celebrating culture and having a good
time. So think about signing up at the next Jam
Asia meeting which are Tuesdays at 9 p.m.

“It’s really
exciting to
see this just
explosive end
result after all
the work we
put in.”
-Angela Tso

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHAEL PAZ PASCUA

Jam Asia has been held at New Paltz for over a decade.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

4B | FEATURES

The New Paltz Oracle

Maui Waui Might Be Legal in Cali

COULD CALIFORNIA’S INITIATIVE HAVE NATIONAL REPERCUSSIONS?
By Justin McCarthy
Features Editor | Jmccarthy46@newpaltz.edu

As pointed out by CNN columnist Ruben
Navarrette, California has long been thought
of as “a bellwether, a state that produces soc
cial
trends and political
m
movements that spread
throughout
the count
try.”
It has been chart
acterized as a state
that does things its own
way, and is often ahead
of
o most states on issues
of
o social change.
In 1996, California
n was the second
state to legalize
medicinal
marim
juana
after its
j
citizens passed
Proposition
215 with
56
percent of the
vote, according to
medicalmILLUSTRATIONS BY JON AIELLO arijuana.pro-

con.org. And that was when the economy was
good.
Today, California is a hot mess.
America’s most populous state, California
is $26.3 billion in the red. After failing to reach
budget solutions over the summer, the state
government has been issuing IOUs in place of
wages it owes Californians. It continues to cut
services for its citizens, laying off thousands of
workers and resulting in an unemployment rate
of 12 percent.
Down on its luck and deep in debt, California voters could decide to make the Golden
State green. And I don’t mean eco-friendly.
That’s right. This November, the state will
vote on an initiative to legalize marijuana. The
initiative, known as the Regulate, Control and
Tax Cannabis Act, would make California the
first state in America to do so.
If the measure passes and succeeds to
bring in the revenue many proponents argue
it will, California could find itself once again
in its role as a national leader. Given the fiscal climate America is currently in, it’s not a
farfetched idea for other states to follow California’s path.
“What happens in California has consequences,” said Gerald Benjamin, a political
science professor at SUNY New Paltz. “It pro-

duces national leaders, it produced President
Reagan, it produces policy innovations sometimes. I wouldn’t say it leads all the time, but
it’s always consequential.”
Benjamin said that sometimes populist
movements take hold in states where initiatives
can be voted on. These movements can often
carry to other states or even to the national
level. Other times, it has the opposite effect.
“Often what happens when you get a
practice in one state or in one place that offends
sensibilities or values in another place is that
people try to preempt it,” he said.
When Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004, an avalanche of states quickly
placed bans on it. And those bans have put serious roadblocks in front of those who seek to
legalize same-sex marriage. Although a number of states have legalized gay marriage since,
one of the major hurdles for proponents today
is to overturn the remaining bans.
However, some states might choose to
stay neutral in order to see how things play out
in California.
“What states do is they often act as the
laboratory for social experimentation within
America,” said Charis Orzechowski, a fourthyear double-major in political science and
Asian studies. “A state will often try out a

controversial policy and then depending on
whether or not it works, otherr
tates may or may not take
states
up that initiative and use
itt for their own. Sometimes
imes it
ends
up

translating
ranslating to the national
ional level such as . . . civil
rights
ights for different races. Sometimes it doesn’t; sometimes it stays
as a state experiment.”
It is too early to say whether New York
will follow California. But if California does
in fact legalize marijuana this year, it could
increase the Empire State’s chances. Some,
however, are doubtful. We do not have a referendum system and lawmakers tend to avoid the
subject if they aren’t vehemently opposed to it.
“I feel that New York State is more of its
own leader,” said Orzechowski. “If New York
State was going to come up with a plan to ease
up on marijuana somehow, I bet it would come
up with its own plan.”

Racism Doesn’t Rock in New Paltz
UNIVERSITY GEARS UP FOR THE ROCK AGAINST RACISM EVENT
By Maxim Alter
Copy Editor| Malter42@newpaltz.edu

On Saturday, April 17, the New Paltz
Students for Sensible Drug Policy and National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (SSDP/NORML) will be hosting
the 11th annual Rock Against Racism, a music festival and political rally located on the
Old Main Quad.
On the official Myspace page, Rock
Against Racism is described as a free community event geared toward cultivating communal unity, as well as raising awareness
about the failure and racial disparities of the
war on drugs and its impact on our society
and future.
New Paltz NORML was founded in 1994
in response to student opposition of SUNY
New Paltz’s expulsion policy, known as the
“No Second Chance Policy,” which mandated
the immediate expulsion of students caught
with drugs on campus. The chapter’s founding members were also opposed to society’s
laws prohibiting marijuana, and aimed at
changing the policy on a broader level.
Before SSDP was added to the organization’s title in 2001, NORML began organizing battle of the bands competitions, concerts
and fundraisers in order to raise enough mon-

ey to hold Rock Against Racism and spread
their message.
According to current New Paltz SSDP/
NORML chapter President George Selby,
the event was titled Rock Against Racism
because the war on drugs isn’t a war against
white people, “but mostly Hispanic and African American males.”
“It wouldn’t make sense for us to put
on an event against the drug war and have it
be something that’s not really an issue of the
drug war,” Selby said… “Our music acts, our
speakers and all the acts that we pay to get,
we make sure that they have a very clear message against the drug war and a clear message
encouraging ethnic diversity and political
fairness among everyone.”
At this year’s event, the headliner guest
will be hip-hop artist KRS-One, who Selby
and SSDP/NORML Co-President Marc Pottak said is a politically conscious musician
who is outspoken against the drug war and
reflects their message.
“He advocates change within the African
American community and outside the African
American community,” Selby said. “Everyone likes KRS-One, so we really think that
he’ll bring the whole community together.”
The event will feature a keynote speech
from political activist Reverend Kenny

Glasgow, who is the brother of Al Sharpton
and has served time in prison for drug charges. Because of this, Selby said Glasgow “embodies the message of Rock Against Racism.”
There will also be a performance by African percussionist and beat-poet Tony Vacca,
who Selby said is similar to KRS-One in that
he is also very politically and socially conscience.
“He goes back and forth between America and Senegal and does concerts over there
and really raises awareness about African music,” Selby said.
Other scheduled activities during the
event include Bushido Garvey and Black August, as well as speeches from Albany Baptist
Minister Reverend Larry Ellis, Radio Rahim
and New Paltz NORML and event founder
Rob Robinson.
During past events, Pottak said the number of attendees has ranged from 500 to 800
people and have included performances by
M1, Bassnectar, Band of Brothers and Immortal Technique. In order to pay for these
guests, SSDP/NORML use the money allotted to them through the Budget and Finance
Committee, which ultimately decides how
much they can spend and who can attend.
“It fluctuates a little bit up and down,”
Selby said. “Last year we didn’t have that

Thursday, April 15, 2010

much and we sort of suffered for it. We didn’t
really have a mainstream act. This year they
gave us a little bit more so we got a really
mainstream act and it really helped a lot.”
In order to get more involved in Rock
Against Racism’s cause, Pottak said he recommends joining SSDP/NORML or any
other groups on campus that are racially conscious, as well as learning about the issue in
the school curriculum.
“Whether you go to Latino Week or join
the Black Student Union or the African Student Union, there are many clubs on campus
that deal with [the issue], Pottak said. “Also,
just classes on it like Race and Racism in U.S.
History… it’s a thing that people can become
involved in really easily.”
By going to this event, Selby said he
hopes students and community members can
become more educated on racial issues and
the war on drugs, which he said is “just as bad
as any genocide or severe injustice that has
impaired a group of people.”
“It’s modern slavery,” Selby said. “We
want to end it. We want the whole campus to
come together and acknowledge it and hear
our speakers… and get people thinking about
it and not thinking about the drug war as an
‘Oh ha ha those guys like drugs,’ but a serious
issue which is killing a lot of people.”

FEATURES | 5B

The New Paltz Oracle

Know the Rules and Regulations on Campus
FACULTY, COPS AND STUDENTS WEIGH IN ON SUNY NEW PALTZ POLICIES

By Justin McCarthy
Features Editor | Jmccarthy@newpaltz.edu

High Times, a magazine published for
those who embrace the cannabis culture,
ranked SUNY New Paltz as the number seven counterculture college in 2006. Although
this ranking may have appropriately characterized an attitude about marijuana that is
often very evident in New Paltz, the college
still stands firm in its drug policies and does
not in any way condone the use of marijuana.
Students who are caught possessing,
smoking or selling marijuana on campus are
arrested, and once their arrests are notified
to the school, a judicial process within the
university must be followed.
However, getting caught off-campus
does not necessarily exempt a student from
having to proceed with the campus judicial
process, said Linda Eaton, dean of students
and chief of judicial affairs.
“Our student judicial handbook says
that we can take action against a student for
things that happen off campus,” said Eaton.
“The rule of thumb for us is that if there are
incidents where there are concerns about issues of safety and security or that behavior
off campus is detrimental on campus.”

According to Eaton, a student who has
been caught with marijuana or any other illegal substance will be “charged” for his or her
violation. The charge, which identifies the
violation of campus policy, is clearly stated
in paperwork which the student receives.
This is known as a “specification of charges”
and also includes a “range of sanctions” that
inform the student of the possible implications of their charge, ranging from the best to
worst-case outcomes.
Once the paperwork has been issued, an
appointment is scheduled where a student
meets with Eaton or Associate Dean of Students Robin Cohen-La Valle to discuss the
charges. At that meeting, the student must
affirm or negate the charge.
“If they affirm the charge, it goes into
what we would call an ‘administrative hearing’ and they would have the opportunity to
tell their side of the story to myself or Ms.
Cohen right there on the spot,” said Eaton.
“And then we would tell them what their
sanction is and we also follow up in writing.”
If a student negates the charge, the case
“automatically goes to a campus hearing.”
At a campus hearing, the student can
bring witnesses and can make his case as
to why he is not “responsible.” The words

guilty and innocent are not used in campus
judicial hearings, Eaton explained, because
the process is not a legal one. The terms “responsible” and “not responsible” are used
instead.
“It’s different than a court of law. We are
not a court of law,” said Eaton. “The hearing
committee only has to establish ‘Is it more
likely than not that this occurred?’ Once all
the evidence is presented at a hearing, if there
is not enough evidence to support someone
being found responsible, then they have to
find him not responsible. It does happen.”
The police officer involved in the case
would appear at the campus hearing, but the
result is determined by a committee that is
comprised of one staff member, one faculty
member and one student.
According to Eaton, of the seven hearings the committee has heard in the past two
semesters—which included cases dealing
with marijuana, non-compliance, physical
abuse and academic integrity— it determined that a student in one of the cases was
not responsible.
If the committee does find the student
responsible, it must recommend a sanction
which is presented to Eaton. Eaton then has
to write the student a letter specifically outlining the sanction and why the student was
found responsible.
The sanctions are not always agreed
upon by all members of the committee.
Sometimes, the student representative does
not agree with the faculty and staff committee members.
“Student involvement on the judicial
board is to ensure that there is a student
voice present,” said Caitlin Ryan, a fourthyear Black studies major and student representative on the committee. “A lot of the
time what happens is that the student voice
can often get outvoted.”
Ryan has been present for two committee hearings. In one hearing, she differed in
opinion on the charge. In both hearings, she
was the dissenting vote on the sanction.
“You have to listen to the facts, of
course,” Ryan said. “But then when dealing
with the sanctions, you can try and be more
understanding of students’ experiences.”
Ryan, like many other students, takes
issue with the one-strike rule the campus
has on marijuana and other drugs. Students
are often given a second chance after being
caught with marijuana and are given a year
of disciplinary probation and a one-time
mandatory educational program. The parents of students under 21 are also notified. A
second violation is an automatic expulsion.
“I understand the desire to not have hard
drugs on campus and I also understand the
desire to not have marijuana on campus because it’s illegal,” Ryan said. “But I think the
sanctions that the school delivers are much
harsher than what would actually happen in
a court of law.”
Campus hearings are not solely for the
purpose of punishing students, Eaton in-

Thursday, April 15, 2010

sisted. They are sometimes used for student
versus student cases and any student entering
a committee hearing can be provided with a
student advocate who will support them.
According to the Annual Security Report for SUNY New Paltz, there were 65
Drug Law Arrests and 44 Drug Law Violations Referred for Disciplinary Action in
2008. While Drug Law Violations Referred
for Disciplinary Action have remained relatively consistent since 2006, Drug Law Arrests have increased yearly from 27 in 2006
to 65 in 2008.
Chief of the University Police Raymond
Bryant, however, doesn’t feel that this is a
strong indicator of an increasing. He said
that he encourages individuals to properly
and legally take a stand on issues they have
problems with in terms of campus policies or
state and federal laws, but he reminds them
that until laws or policies are changed, they
must still be followed.
“If they’re successful in changing the
drug laws and policies, so be it,” said Bryant. “There are certain laws that I don’t like
as a person either, but until they get changed,
I have to follow them.”

What Happens
When You Get
Busted?
1. Arrest
2. SUNY New Paltz is
notified.
3. Specification of charges
4. Appointment with
Dean of Students.
5. Student must negate or
affirm charge.
6. If charge is affirmed,
a sanction is issued. If
charge is negated,
committee hearing is
scheduled.
7. Judicial hearing committee listens to case
and decides whether
student is responsible
or not responsible.
8. If responsible, student
is issued sanction.

6B | FEATURES

The New Paltz Oracle

Enhance Your 4/20 Experience
A DAY OF FUN, FOOD AND FREE SPIRITS

Stoners around the world have always wondered what their favorite and almighty number actually means and where it comes from. But look no further! The 4/20 mystery is finally solved!
While rumors have swirled about a police code and Hitler’s birthday being the true origin of the term 4/20, the generally accepted theory was put forth by Steven Hager, the editor of High
Times, in the magazine in 1998. Hager told the story of a group of San Rafael High School kids who called themselves the Waldos. The Waldos gave Hager evidence to show they had created
the term 420, which is now a celebrated number by marijuana smokers around the world.
According to Hager, the Waldos were given a “treasure map” by a friend, which led to a large quantity of marijuana being grown on Point Reyes Peninsula. The Waldo’s decided to meet
up and snatch some bud from this patch, and decided to meet up at exactly 4:20 p.m. After this, the Waldo’s began using the term “4/20” as a synonym for pot, and became popular in the
Grateful Dead community and became the term we all love.
So there you have it, the true story for why you celebrate on April 20th of every year.
-By Andrew Wyrich, Copy Editor

d
n
A w,
no

A
Word

From
The Police

If you do an illegal activity, don’t be surprised if
you’re arrested. I’m a strong believer in individualism. Individuals who believe that laws or policies
are unfair or want them changed, they have all the
right in the world to go through the proper procedures
to get them changed. What they have to realize is that
until those laws or policies are changed, it’s still unlawful.
-Chief of University Police, Ray Bryant

Weeding Out the
Competition
By Pete Thompson, Sports Editor

“Weed!,” pits up to four players against each other in a ganja
growing deathmatch. Players draw and play a card for every turn,
trying to get a garden full of greens. This requires each of your
five “slots” to be filled with a plant card.
Each of these cards has a designated number from one to six.
Once each of a player’s five slots is stocked with one of these, the
points—or plants— are tallied and he is rewarded with that number of points. Before the game begins, everyone agrees upon the
number to reach in order to win the game. A six is highly sought
after, making the player in possession of it susceptible to a number
of shenanigans.
Obstacles arise because there are a number of cards to prevent
you from becoming the cannabis king. These range from weeds
(not marijuana) that require plant killer for removal to hippies
who smoke your lowest plant card to cop cars that take a turn to
be discarded. If all else fails and the sole Potzilla card is in your
hand, you can always unleash the
fire-breathing, bong-wielding
dragon upon another player,
destroying all cards in his
garden.
Once you get into it,
you can create a number
of strategies to aid you on
your mission of becoming
an illegal substance growing superpower. With
intelligence and anticipation required, this game
isn’t for the lazy stoner.

Music to Maximize Your
Buzz
By Zan Strumfeld, Arts & Entertainment

Choosing the greatest albums to listen to on 4/20 is next to impossible. It all depends
on the mood you’re in. Consider these scenarios: If you’re driving up a mountain, listen to
Fleet Foxes’ self-titled album. If you need a good album to have sex to, check out The Dave
Brubeck Quartet’s 1959 release of Time Out. If you really want to laugh, try some G. Love
(& the Special Sauce) or Flight of the Conchords. If you really just have to bust a move,
of course I’ll recommend of Montreal, probably Satanic Panic in the Attic or the newest
release, Skeletal Lamping. Want to impress your friends? Show them Easy Street All Stars’
Dubb Side of the Moon or Lonely Hearts Dub Band, renditions of the classics with a reggae
groove. Need to chill out alone but don’t necessarily want to off yourself? Don’t try Radiohead or Elliott Smith. Some of Iron & Wine’s The Creek Drank the Cradle may not be that
bad, but for some more light-hearted sounds, Jackson 5 will never, ever let you down.

The Double Down:

Munchie of the Future?
By James Leggate, News Editor

Atkins Dieters rejoice! KFC’s new Double Down sandwich contains no
bread (except on the fried chicken)! Perhaps in a few months we’ll start seeing
commercials featuring people who trimmed inches off their waists by eating
these for lunch every day.
But seriously, ever since its invention in the 1600s, the sandwich has been
stuck between two pieces of bread. KFC’s Double Down aims to be the harbinger
of a new paradigm shift toward foods stuck between other exotic foods. Hopefully it won’t be.
Despite its radical design, the Double Down was a letdown. The chicken was
too hot and greasy to hold comfortably and, quite frankly, the two pieces of chicken
are too thick to comfortably bite through. The cheese arrived un-melted, despite the
finger-burning temperature of the chicken. As soon as the cheese within the sandwich melted, the outer parts of the slices, still lukewarm, fell off. The bacon
and sauce were OK, but nothing special.
The Double Down is not the herald of a new age of food
because it does not feel good to have inside your body. Its
unusual design may have some limited late-night appeal to
the drunk and stoned, but it just doesn’t sit well in a sober
stomach.
I really wanted this sandwich to rule, but it doesn’t.
This sandwich does not rule. In fact, it makes me sad.
The Double Down makes me sad because I think it
may be the end of a generation of absurd fast food and
American excess. The economy is in shambles. Obama is
president. We have public health care (kind of). The far
right, which used to be all about ridiculously fattening
sandwiches, is now getting increasingly militarized. Larry
the Cable Guy hasn’t had a gold album since 2005.
Gluttony just isn’t cool anymore. I don’t expect this
sandwich to last long.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GAWNO.COM, MINDINVERSION.WORDPRESS.COM, SHOPHEADLINES.COM AND JAMES PETRICH

Andy Warhol is renowned for his ability to turn pop
culture into art, but the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art
(SDMA) exhibition “Andy Warhol: Private and Public in
151 Photographs” shows an alternative side to his work.
The photographs, which went on display Friday, April
9, are Polaroid and gelatin silver prints taken by Warhol
from 1972 to 1986. SDMA was one of the 180 institutions that received photos as a gift from the Andy Warhol
Foundation for the Visual Arts. There were 28,500 photographs distributed amongst the different institutions and
151 were given to SUNY New Paltz.
The concept for the exhibition was a collaborative
effort by students in the Warhol photographic legacy
project course taught by art history Professor Reva Wolf
and the museum studies class taught by Curator Brian
Wallace from spring 2009. The students researched the
photographs and discovered an interconnection between
Warhol’s private and public life, leading to the concept of
the exhibition. Their essays were published in the exhibition catalogue. Wolf said she was attracted to the idea
because it avoided the stereotypical cartoonish interpretations of Warhol’s art which focuses on his love of commerce and celebrity.
Curator Brian Wallace said Warhol had passions and
experienced love and losses like the rest of us. “We think
of Warhol as this impassive façade pop art figure. He was
one of the artists who created the genre or style of pop
art,” he said. “No one knows what he meant to do with
these photos, but they reveal his personal side and give
clues to what seems less personal.”
The quote, “I told them that I didn’t believe in art,
that I believed in photography” from “The Andy Warhol
Diaries” is displayed on the wall of the exhibition. The
pictures show a more vulnerable side to Warhol. There
are several pictures of Jon Gould whom Warhol was obsessed with and tirelessly pursued with grand romantic
gestures. The photo of Gould with the Balto Statue in
Central Park has a very intimate and affectionate feel to
it. Warhol’s endearment of Gould is evident in the numerous photographs displayed of him, but it is unknown
if they were ever more than companions.
There is portraiture of various friends of Warhol or
unidentified people in profile snap shots with sequencing
subtle facial changes. A group of photographs taken of
Dina Merrill were unique. Warhol does not only focus on
her face but gravitates toward her torso and the flowery
material on her dress in a series of shots.

“Jon Gould,” 1983 Gelatin silver print, 8 x 10 in.
Wolf said she was worried about the challenge of
working with so many images. She thought in terms of
thematic groupings which ultimately contributed to the
cohesive appeal that guides viewers through the experience.
Wolf and Wallace encourage those who view the exhibition to read through the catalogue with student research of the photographs.
“Once you have all the information, then you have
the opportunity to interpret it,” said Wallace. “People
think that everyone should understand art but if you
study art you’re going to get more out of it.”
For insight on the intriguing life of a legend, visit the
“Andy Warhol: Private and Public in 151 Photographs”
exhibition. It will be on display at SDMA until July 25
and from Aug. 18 to Sept. 26.

Season 6 Episode 12:
“Everybody Loves Hugo”
Countering the season two episode titled “Everybody Hates Hugo,”
this newest hour of “Lost” proved
once again how different the parallel
reality can be, all the while, finally
satisfying some much needed closure on a few mysteries – one even
stretching back to the first season.
If you can recall, when our survivors first entered the treacherous
jungles of the island, there were
those mysterious strange whispers
surrounding them whenever trouble
was near. After waiting six years,
we finally know what they are, and
it’s all thanks to Hurley and his keen
ability to communicate with the
dead.
After a quick talk with our deceased friend Michael, Hurley is
informed that the whispers actually
belong to “the ones that can’t move
on,” meaning, the souls on the island
that have not been able to leave because of something they have done.
In Michael’s case, it was murdering
Libby and Ana Lucia. After finally
revealing this secret, Michael apologizes to Hurley and is given the
proper redemption. This will probably be the last we see of him.
In the parallel reality, Libby visits Hurley in a restaurant while he is
waiting for a no-show blind date. Just
like in the regular reality, Libby is a
patient of the mental hospital. However, because of his extreme luck,
Hurley is not. This doesn’t explain,
though, how Libby was able to leave
the hospital and be amongst the flight
815 survivors in the second season.
Perhaps we don’t actually need to

know this and are just supposed to
assume that like Jin, Sun, Desmond
and Penny – Hurley and Libby were
always meant to be together.
During their encounter, Libby
tells Hurley she has been having visions of him on a beach where they
are “together.” Just like Desmond
and Charlie, Libby is aware of the
existence of the other reality. Unfortunately for her, leaving in a van
labeled with the title of a mental facility didn’t really help her case too
much.
Back in the normal reality, Ilana
is on a mission to blow up the airplane, which Faux-Locke aka Flocke
is attempting to escape on. But just
like the unsuspecting Arzt, Ilana
is randomly blown to smithereens
when handling the dynamite improperly.
I understand the concept that
when the island no longer needs a
character, it’s time for them to bite
the bullet. However, it seemed like
Ilana trained all her life just to blow
herself up. I thought Jacob had a plan
for Ilana. Like Ben states later in the
episode, “Was the island really done
with her?”
I hope this isn’t the last we hear
about Ilana because then I feel like
her character would have been pointless. On the bright side, at least the
writers are following up on their
promise that people are going to start
dying. It looks as though Ilana was
their first victim.
In the parallel reality, Desmond
continues his mission to help the other passengers on flight 815 remember the other reality, starting with
Hurley. After approaching Hurley
in a Mr. Cluck’s Chicken, Desmond
convinces him to believe in what

Libby had to say, which ultimately
sends Hurley to the mental facility to
ask Libby out on a date. After bribing the Doctor of the facility, Hurley
and Libby are finally able to have
that picnic on the beach they planned
right before she died in season two.
The best part is, right when
Libby kisses him, visions from the
other reality instantly begin jolting
into Hurley’s mind. Once Desmond
notices this from his parked car in
the distance, he drives off to his next
subject. Perhaps if Desmond is able
to get all the survivors to see the
other reality, something of epic proportions will happen. I’m hoping this
has something to do with the finale.
Back in the normal reality, Hurley rushes ahead of the others and
blows up the Black Rock, which is
what Michael instructed him to do.
It was sad to see one of the best and
most familiar set pieces go like that,
but in a way, the writers are reminding us that the show is almost over.
After the explosion, there is a pretty
heated debate between Hurley and
Richard, which results in the survivors splitting up into two groups. On
one side: Hurley, Jack, Lapidus and
Sun, on the other: Ben, Miles and
Richard.
What bothers me about this
whole situation is the group has been
split perfectly into the flight 815 survivors that Flocke needs in order to
leave. Even worse, after some pretending that Jacob is telling him what
to do, Hurley convinces his group to
go find Flocke and speak to him. It’s
almost as if something evil is giving
Hurley directions. Hurley was seen
opening a bag before all this bad
decision-making went down. Maybe
whatever was in that bag has some-

Thursday, April 15, 2010

thing to do with it.
On the other side of the island,
where Flocke has been waiting to
learn about “the package,” Sayid
finally arrives with Desmond, who
is strangly calm and cool for a guy
who’s been taken captive. After being untied by Flocke, the two take
a walk to the well from season four.
After realizing Desmond is not
scared of him, Flocke angrily pushes
him into the well. I think Desmond
knows how to defeat Flocke, which
is why he became so angry. Killing
the Man in Black may have something to do with Desmond’s mission
in the parallel reality.
Speaking of the parallel reality,
Desmond continues his quest to enlighten his fellow flight 815 passengers by parking in front of the school
where the paralyzed Locke teaches.
After Locke leaves the building and
begins wheeling towards his vehicle, Desmond does the unexpected.
In the final seconds of the episode,
Desmond slams on the acceleration
and runs over Locke in full speed. Is
this some kind of parallel reality revenge? Maybe Desmond is trying to
kill Locke because if he dies in the
parallel reality he also dies in the island reality.
With only four episodes left till
the two-hour series finale, “Lost” is
getting even crazier. And I am happy
to say that the writers have done an
excellent job thus far in answering
even the most miniscule questions
throughout the season while still
keeping the plot moving forward. I
hope in the final episodes we finally
learn who Adam and Eve are, why
Jack’s dead father was able to manipulate our survivors and if that freaking bird really said Hurley’s name.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT |9B

The New Paltz Oracle

PHOTO COURTESY OF ACESHOWBIZ.COM

Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson deliver excellent performances, but still weren’t able to save director Louis Leterrier’s remake of “Clash of the Titans” from failure.

‘Titans’ Not So Mighty
DESPITE GREAT EFFECTS, ‘CLASH OF THE TITANS’ FALLS TO HADES

By Maxim Alter
Copy Editor | Malter42@newpaltz.edu
With a pair of 3D glasses, a liter of Coke Zero and
some extra buttery popcorn, I prepared myself for “Clash
of the Titans,” a film that the majority of critics have been
trashing for the past two weeks.
Ever since the wheel was invented, critics have been
jumping on the bandwagon to hate campy action films,
which I believe, are to be judged for what they are: cheap
fun. However, “Clash of the Titans” cost me $15 and was
only marginally fun. Frankly, for every dollar I spend on
an action movie, there should be 100 explosions, and
“Clash” never quite hit the number I wanted.
Directed by Louis Leterrier, “Clash of the Titans”
was a remake of the 1981 film of the same name. Compared to the original, Leterrier’s version is filled with
over-the-top and very polished special effects, as well as
a glistening Liam Neeson as Zeus. With so much visual
polish, it can be easy to ignore what the film lacks in its
script.
The plot revolves around Perseus, who is played by
“Avatar’s” Sam Worthington. As the film opens, a baby
Perseus is discovered floating in a coffin in the sea by a
fisherman and his wife. Still alive, the newborn is adopted by the family and raised to be a strong, good-natured
young man. As time goes on, Persueus’ adopted father
becomes fed up and refuses praying to the Gods because
of the foul treatment mankind have been receiving. As
more mortals began to withdraw their prayers, a dark

cloud begins to form on Mount Olympus.
As it turns out, Zeus and the rest of the Gods depend
on the prayers of mortals in order to remain all-powerful.
After this betrayal by the people he created, Zeus calls
upon his brother Hades, played by Ralph Fiennes, to
stir up some terror and scare mankind into submission.
After causing some chaos, Hades makes a huge mistake
in murdering Perseus’ family, thrusting him into a quest
for revenge. What follows is a roller coaster ride of oneliners, six packs and a man-eating kraken, which if you
squinted your eyes just right, looked exactly like Julia
Roberts.
The casting for the film was fantastic, particularly
because I have been waiting a long time for a Fiennes
and Neeson reunion. Sure, this is no “Schindler’s List,”
but seeing the two men together again made me giddy
like a schoolgirl. Both of their performances were excellent, despite what little they had to work with. Fiennes
was also surprisingly terrifying in his Hades garb, even
though during a majority of his screen time he was entirely CGI.
As for Worthington, who has been all the rage these
days, he kept the action moving and did what he was
supposed to do: wear a mini skirt and swing a sword.
Nothing spectacular came from his performance and I
can honestly say that a dozen other young actors could
have played the same role with ease. I have faith in
Worthington, however, and I believe that if he steers his
career away from action films, there might just be a real
actor there.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Just like in his previous film “Avatar,” Worthington
is pulsating out of the silver screen and into my brain
in 3D. However, unlike “Avatar,” the 3D seemed to be
more of an afterthought rather than part of the filmmaking process. Nothing really stood out and blew me away.
Even the kraken seemed underwhelming for its entire
minute long cameo, which is especially sad because I
was half expecting his roar to fog up my glasses.
Since I am too young to really appreciate the original
“Clash of the Titans,” much of this film reminded me of
the stellar video game series “God of War,” and the potential awesomeness of a film adaptation. Besides inspiring great games, Greek mythology has a lot of potential
to generate epic movies. “Clash of the Titans” failed this
potential though, in that it didn’t include enough of the
creatures and tales that make Greek mythology so interesting.
For this reason, the only portion of the film I found
myself completely immersed in was Perseus’ battle with
Medusa. For approximately 10 minutes, I cared for each
and every character, and found myself wanting to shout
at the screen to warn each victim of Medusa’s deadly
stare. If the film had contained more old school mythical
battles and less man skirts, perhaps the 3D would have
been worth all the money. I hate to say it, but I actually
agree with the critics on this one. The only thing god-like
in my viewing of “Clash of the Titans” was the size of
my bladder, after drinking that entire liter of Coke Zero.

10B | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The New Paltz Oracle

Meet Meek and the Marksmen
BATTLE OF THE BANDS’ WINNERS OPEN FOR GYM CLASS HEROES NEXT WEEK
By Zan Strumfeld
A&E Editor | Sstrumfeld34@newpaltz.edu
This year’s Battle of the Bands took place out on Ole’
Main Quad on a beautiful Sunday, April 11. With an eight
band line-up, the final group to take the stage, Meek and
the Marksmen, won the competition. First place prize? Being the opening act for the Student Association Productions’
Gym Class Heroes concert on Wednesday, April 21.

The creation of the band began just over a year ago at
Bard College, where all of the members attend school. As
the main songwriter, Ulhmann got together with Vernam to
show him some songs, and they formed a band with the remaining three members. They started playing shows at local bookstores around their university. All of the members,
except Vitale, are music majors at Bard, so the beginning of
Meek and the Marksmen turned into an academic project as

PHOTO COURTESY OF MYSPACE.COM

Meek and the Marksmen are Bard College students that created their band just over a year ago.
well as a personal band.
So how’d a Bard College band show up at New Paltz?
“I knew Kaitlin (Battle of the Bands creator) from high
school and knew some people in other bands from our high
school in Long Island,” said Vernam. “We figured we’d take
the trip down, not too far of a drive and have a good time.”
Meek and the Marksmen have a “rock and roll danceysound; very danceable music,” said Vernam. “We kind of
have a Beatles-esque-Rolling Stone-modern Wilco kind of
twist to it.”
Opening for Gym Class Heroes is a big thing for any

band, since they are well-known and famous.
“When we heard that was the first place prize, we
couldn’t miss up on that opportunity,” said Vernam. “We
want to open up for a big band for a party at your school.
We’ll bring friends. We played at The Chance last month
with a few other bands from Bard so we really wanted to
get first place.”
Check out more information on Meek and the Marksmen at myspace.com/meekandthemarksmen, or their EP,
According to Red, on iTunes, which they plan to sell at the
show.

Upcoming Shows in the Area!
Vassar College Entertainment Presents:

student association productions Presents:

THE FLAMING LIPS

gym class heroes

with
STARDEATH AND WHITE DWARFS
and
THE HOOD INTERNET

with
meek and the marksmen

Wednesday, April 21

SATURDAY, APRIL 17

at 8 P.M.

at 7 P.M.

elting gym
suny new paltz

MID HUDSON CIVIC CENTER
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.

Tickets are $10 for students
$20 for non-students

Tickets are $35
@ ticketweb.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF TREBLEZINE.COM

Thursday, April 15, 2010

PHOTO COURTESY OF CELEBRITY-MANIA.COM

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT |11B

The New Paltz Oracle

‘Congratulations,’MGMT
PSYCHEDELIC-DUO MIXES VARIETY OF SOUNDS ON NEW RECORD
By Zan Strumfeld
A&E Editor | Sstrumfeld34@newpaltz.edu

MGMT
Congratulations

Despite all the hype MGMT gained
on their inital success, their 2008 debut of
Oracular Spectacular was overwhelmingly
mediocre and was really only suppported
by key tracks like “Time to Pretend” and
“Kids.” Yet with their sophomore release
on April 13, 2010, Congratulations shows
that the electric-pop-psychedelic duo have
created an album that, as a whole, is a
monumentally fulfilling piece of music. And,
unlike Oracular, MGMT have decided to not
release any song as a single, wanting their
album to be viewed as a whole instead of
separate. Pretty fucking cool.
The album begins like a John Hughes’
(RIP) movie, with a very ‘80s feel in “It’s
Working.” An interesting way to start off the
album, to say the least, and clearly offering
a brand new feel from Oracular. Regardless,
the song is undoubtedly working, bringing
an inviting feeling for the rest of the album,
consciously pulling the listener into the
tracks.
Tracks like “Someone’s Missing” has a
calm background piano with a pretty falsetto
while “Flash Delirium” is more psych-rock
that has an unnecessary amount of style
changes throughout the entire four-minute
song. Songs like these are a reminder of
Oracular, but with a slightly more trippy
appearance. Maybe the duo hopped up on a
few more drugs for this one.
“I Found A Whistle” makes you want

to strap on that hideously shoulder-padded
pink dress and go to the high school dance
where Simple Minds and Cindi Lauper play
on vinyl. It’s slow, maybe a little too slow,
and easy to press “next” for.
But there’s a benefit to this – the
12-minute “Siberian Break” begins, which
has an ever-interesting mix of what must
be what MGMT has been listening to lately.
It starts with an undoubtedly French-duo
Air feeling for the first two minutes, then
picking up with that time when The Beatles
ventured to India. The thing is, you know
the song is 12 minutes long, but you just
keep thinking it’s about to end as you zone
into it – and it gets you every time when it
changes, with yet another five or so minutes
remaining. The ballad reverts back to the
‘80s feel and then skips to a random interval
of what unmistakably sounds like the part
in “Kill Bill” where Lucy Lui’s parents
die. It begins to fade out and then BAM,
a drum kicks in and you’ve stepped into
Belle and Sebastian’s The Life Pursuit. The
multi-ballad’s final minute and a half has a
very underwater, ever-psychedelic effect
that finally fades out and fades away. It’s
definitely one of the best tracks on the album,
but after a few listens you may find yourself
skipping around throughout the track rather
than listening to its entirety.

“Brian Eno” an upbeat, kooky tune will
have you chanting “Brian Eno,” even when
you really don’t want to. “Lady Dada’s
Nightmare,” a four-minute instrumental
that is so reminiscent of Air’s The Virgin
Suicides soundtrack, it’s ridiculous, has bits
of slasher-flick sound effects and not enough
Lady Gaga resemblance, except the fact that
it’s pretty frightening.
The album ends with “Congratulations,”
completing the nine tracks with almost a
“We did it!” feeling of relief; “But I’ve
got someone to make reports/ That tell
me how my money’s spent/ To book my
stays and draw my blinds/ So I can’t see
what’s really there/ And all I need’s a
great big congratulations.” Is it safe to say
congratulations to MGMT even though their
congratulating themselves? Why yes, it can
be said. So congratulations, MGMT, you’ve
outdone yourselves by proving you actually
do have something else to offer.
It’s safe to say that MGMT has stepped
out of the realm they initially stepped into,
supplying a more cohesive, mature album
that exceeded expectations. Oracular fans
may not be as impressed by the lack of fun
singles, but taking a closer look shows that
the poppy tracks they initally fell for aren’t
all MGMT is worth - they deserve credit for
a spectacular album.

Making
Music
History
The Web is abuzz with a tabloid report
that “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson will
portray the late Nirvana star Kurt Cobain
in an upcoming biopic, and that Courtney
Love wants Scarlett Johansson to play
her -- but that’s news to Courtney Love’s
manager. More news to follow when
released.

::
During the soundcheck for the opening
date of his music/comedy tour in Eugene,
Oregon, Conan O’Brien whipped out a
“Weird Al”-style redux of Radiohead’s
smash “Creep.”

::
Death Cab for Cutie helped the Seattle
Mariners kick off their home opener with
a couple classic baseball tunes: John
Fogerty’s “Centerfield” and the most
melancholic “Take Me Out to the Ball
Game” you’ve ever heard. The foursome
wore customized Mariners gear and
seemed to be having a decent time.

::

ALBUM ART COURTESY OF ATRL.NET, ABOVE PHOTO COURTESY OF LIST.CO.UK.

MGMT released their sophomore album, Congratulations, on April 13, 2010.

List compiled by DJ Dear Ms. Leading.
Her show is every Wednesday night from 8 to 10 p.m.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

A spokesperson for Spike Jonze tells
MTV that the visionary director “will be
in Austin shooting a short film which is a
collaboration with Arcade Fire.” Further
details are scarce, but Arcade Fire are due
to release a new album later this year.

::
Malcolm McLaren, the famed British rock
provacateur and mastermind behind the
Sex Pistols’ rise to stardom, died in New
York on April 8 after losing a long battle
with cancer. He was 64.

::
Dr. Dre and Jay-Z are collaborating on
a song called (not Queen and David
Bowie’s) “Under Pressure,” a single off the
Dr.’s long-awaited record Detox.

All information derived from Rollingstone.
com, Pitchfork.com and Spin.com.

12B | THE DEEP END

The New Paltz Oracle

This Week in the Deep End:

Lauren Renner

NAME: Lauren Renner
ART: Photography
YEAR: Second-year
MAJOR: Photo B.F.A
INSPIRATION: Music and
the work of other artists
FAVORITE ARTIST:
Salvador Dali
DREAM: To do whatever it
is that makes her happy

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAUREN RENNER, CAPTION BY FELICE BERNABO

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Pg 10

OPINIONS

The New Paltz Oracle

EDITORIAL
KEEP OUR WATER CLEAN

The natural gas located in the Marcellus Shale, a large portion of which is
located in New York, could be a potential
boon for the energy needs of the United
States. However, the dangers to the environment – in particular our water supply
– far outweigh the benefits.
The gas companies have refused to
disclose what chemicals are in the fluid
used for hydro-fracking, saying that they
constitute trade secrets. There have been
several cases in which toxic chemicals
mysteriously began appearing in the water supply of areas with hydro-fracking.
Without a public list of the ingredients of
the fracking fluid, a connection cannot be
proven when this happens.
Currently, hydro-fracking is mostly
unregulated because the Bush administration loosened safety standards. States
are responsible for making sure the gas
companies are acting appropriately, but
most state environmental departments do
not have enough workers to supervise all
drilling. New York, for example, has only
17 Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) inspectors. There is no way
they can regulate the huge area of New
York that falls within the Marcellus Shale
region.
If the waste water from hydro-fracking were to leak into the water supply,
the consequences would not only affect
our water locally, but also New York
City, which gets its water from a variety of sources between the Catskills and
Delaware River. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection
released a public letter last December
stating that hydro-fracking poses “an unacceptable threat to the unfiltered, fresh
water supply of nine million New Yorkers, and cannot safely be permitted within
the New York City watershed.”
Another problem with hydro-fracking is that the gas itself can leak through
cracks in the cement casing surrounding
the pipe. Once the gas escapes, it can
travel underground into wells or basements, where it gathers until a spark sets
it off, causing an explosion. Though some
of the landowners who would allow gas
companies to drill on their property stand
to gain financially, they risk death – both
their own and their neighbors.
Proponents of gas drilling say that it
is cleaner than coal. Gas may burn clean-

CARTOON BY JON AIELLO

er than coal, but its overall effects are just
as devastating to the environment.
Luckily, there is hope. The EPA announced last month that they are undertaking a new nationwide study on the
safety of hydro-fracking. Locally, we can
help by spreading awareness of the dangers of hydro-fracking. Let your elected
officals and the DEC know that you
oppose it. Support Maurice Hinchey’s

FRAC Act, which would give the EPA
authority over the industry. If the EPA regains regulatory power over the industry,
they will better be able to make sure gas
companies are acting safely and responsibly.
Though the large amount of natural
gas in the Marcellus Shale would be useful to our energy-hungry country, other
options can be embraced. Wind, solar and

tidal energy can be used. Even landfills,
the longtime visual example of environmental damage, may be a popular source
of energy in the future thanks to gas-collecting plants and waste-to-energy incinerators that burn cleaner than ever before.
Hydro-fracking, on the other hand, is the
kind of old-fashioned messy industrial
process that leads to Superfund sites.

Editorials represent the views of the majority of the editorial board.
Columns, op-eds and letters, excluding editorials, are solely those of the writers and
do not necessarily represent the views of The New Paltz Oracle, its staff members, the campus and university or the
Town or Village of New Paltz.
Thursday, April 15, 2010

The New Paltz Oracle

Pg 11

OPINIONS

COLUMNS

I Remembered Your Name!
Pamela Vivanco
Copy Editor
Pvivanco57@newpaltz.edu
It was here, in this beautifully orange
painted room (The New Paltz Oracle office) that my friend Maxim triggered a
memory of one of my all-time favorite
childhood shows with one of my all-time
favorite characters: “TAINA.”
To me, Taina was not just some invent-

ed Nickelodeon tween queen. Taina was
me. I was Taina.
Like Taina, I was a Latina aspiring
singer/actress living in Queens who spent
a lot of time daydreaming about being famous. Middle school was my prime. I was
in chorus and…that’s really it. So, maybe
it wasn’t my prime. Maybe I never actually
had a “prime time” in my singing/acting
career, but who cares? That part of my life
is over and I’m OK with that. I’ve come to
fully accept that I will never be a famous
singer/actress and I really have no interest
in it but the point is that I DID in middle
school. I identified with Taina.
Taina was the reason I didn’t run away
when my dad told me we were leaving my
perfectly cozy apartment in Brooklyn and
moving to Queens. It really was hard on my
11-year-old self, but when Nickelodeon introduced Taina and I realized that she, my
all-time favorite person was from Queens,

it really made a difference. Queens was
officially cool and I could say “I’m from
Queens, like Taina.” I didn’t though.
I realized that Taina and I were practically the same person though, when she
opened her high school locker and guess
who was all over it? That’s right! Jennifer
Lopez and Selena, my middle school idols.
The day after I remembered what an
impact Taina had on my life (perhaps I
am exagerrating), I went on YouTube and
watched an episode. The episode was
“Blue Mascara,” featuring 3LW. Remember them? ‘Playas they gon play and ballas they gon’ ball?’ Maybe you don’t and I
don’t blame you. They were not a memorable group of singers. But, there was an
episode where Shakira made an appearance. Take that Hannah Montana!
It was a half an hour of complete nostalgia full of some laughs, but some disappointing moments too. Despite its silliness,

the show did include some potentially offensive stereotypical jokes. I only watched
one episode, but I’m sure that if I kept
watching, similar critiques would come
along.
Aside from that, I enjoyed the show. It
really brought me back to the good ol’ days
when I was an aspiring singer/actress (but
not really) who wanted to see my name in
lights. I just wanted to remind all of you
past Nickelodeon kids of one of the best
shows ever, “Taina.” Am I the only one
who remembers her name?
Pamela is a second-year journalism and
sociology major from Queens, New York.
This is her first semester as the news copy
editor for The New Paltz Oracle. She hopes
that one day all the hours she spends in The
New Paltz Oracle office pay off and that
she can open up a youth center in Brownsville, Brooklyn, where she grew up.

The Times, They Are A-Changin’

Pete Thompson
Sports Editor
Pthompson51@newpaltz.edu
I didn’t even want to write a column since
I couldn’t think of anything to write about, but
then a quote from an article I read on nytimes.
com during my journalism class got me thinking. The article, “Hallucinogens Have Doctors
Tuning in Again,” discusses the positive effects of hallucinogens, a topic I found especially pertinent as 4/20 approaches.
Pertaining specifically to psilocybin, the
active ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” the
quote, by Dr. Charles S. Grob went like this:

“Under the influence of hallucinogens, individuals transcend their primary identification
with their bodies and experience ego-free
states before the time of their actual physical demise, and return with a new perspective
and profound acceptance of the life constant:
change.”
Rather than a ranting, drug-addled psycho, Grob is a psychiatrist involved in psilocybin testing at University of California, Los
Angeles (UCLA), using it as a means of easing anxiety for terminally ill patients. He calls
it “existential medicine,” and believes it gives
them a chance to overcome panic, fear and depression.
Of course this isn’t the first time I’ve
heard advocacy for the benefits of drugs, but
it is definitely one of a different caliber. Rather
than someone my age telling me about the enlightening experience they had while tripping
or how dosing changed their life, these are
actual doctors alluding to the fact that, under
the right conditions, the substance can greatly
impact your life, virtually altering your take on
it altogether.
What stood out most to me was the idea

of a “physical demise.” I find it intriguing that
science suggests this offers a temporary escape
from the material worries and trivial bullshit
that so often plague our lives, preventing us
from achieving true happiness. If a willing participant can come out of the experience with
a world view aware of these faults, then why
not at least understand it? The article says scientists have even found similarities between
these experiences and revelations from history’s mystics and mages through neural imaging and behavioral studies.
In no way am I saying that everyone
should run rampant eating massive amounts of
mushrooms, but I think it’s amazing that the
terminally ill were granted some sort of solace from them. The fact that psilocybin fixed
what counseling and antidepressants couldn’t
shows that the future may hold positive things
for society.
I’m concerned more with universal understanding than use. Too many people are
on opposite sides of the spectrum in regard to
drugs – which are too often thought of in one
collective group – and this harvests extreme
negative feelings, rather than any form of

understanding. Some kind of happy medium
must be reached for any positive outcome.
In all honesty, I just found the actuality
of this testing to be pretty fascinating. With
such heavy taboo on drugs and their effects, I
had no idea such a thing existed, especially at
institutions such as Harvard, New York University and UCLA. Hearing such a statement
is definitely interesting, and some might even
say progressive.
On a final, side note pertaining to my last
column: be weary of where you adventure.
In trying to make the most of this “physical
demise,” you may just end up with a case of
poison ivy that creeps uncomfortably close to
your…

Pete is a second-year English major on his first
semester as the sports editor for The New Paltz
Oracle. While not sitting and taking three hours
to write each article, he can be found convincing someone to accompany him on various
adventures. Reading and writing are few of his
favorite activities, but he’d rather just go with
the flow.

Want to join The New Paltz Oracle?
Come to our elections on Sunday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. in Student Union 417!
For more information, contact the editor-in-chief at oracle@newpaltz.edu
Thursday, April 15, 2010

Pg 12

SPORTS

The New Paltz Oracle

Hawks Players of the Week
For the Week Ending April 18
Fourth-year Rose Dovi
helped the Hawks to a
3-1 week. Dovi started
the week off with a
6-for-8 performance
in a sweep of Mount
Saint Mary College.
In game one, she hit
two triples and one
homerun with three
runs and four RBI. She
followed in game two
by going 3-for-4 with
two runs and three RBI,
including her eighth
triple of the year.
For the week, she hit
.467 (7-15) with six
runs, one double, three
triples, one homerun
and seven RBI. She
currently leads the
team in triples (8),
RBI (30) and slugging
percentage (.866).

Fourth-year Clinton
Boettcher helped lead
the Hawks to a 3-2 week,
including a split with
nationally ranked No.
18 Plattsburgh State.
Boettcher started the
week off with a 3-for5, one run and two RBI
performance in a 14-4 win
over Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College. He
followed that performance
with a 2-for-4, two
runs and a career-high
five RBI in a 12-2 win
against Mount Saint Mary
College. For the week,
he had a batting average
of .500 (12-24) with six
runs, three doubles, one
homerun and 16 RBI. He
currently leads the team
in homeruns (5), RBI (32)
and his second with a
average of .365.

Wellness and Recreation Events and Activities
Outdoor Pursuit Trips

Group Fitness Schedule

Rock Climbing:
Saturday, April 24 - Multi Pitch
Cost: $25
Multi-pitch rock climbing trip to the
Gunks, there is a 12 person max for
this trip. This trip is intended to the
intermediate and advanced climber.
Registration will close on April 19.

Monday

Health Assessments
Interested in a free Health Assessment?
With our State of the Art Polar
BodyAgeâ&#x201E;˘ System, our trainers can
assess body fat, weight, body size,
flexibility, strength, blood pressure,
cardiovascular, heart rate, nutrition,
stress, lifestyle, disease risks and more. If
you are a student, faculty, staff, alumni,
or retired faculty who is an Athletic &
Wellness Center current member and
would like to sign up, please fill out the
Health Assessment form and return it to
room 220 or in Elting Gym or sign up
online.

The intramural department is always
looking for input to stay up to date
with the latest trends sweeping the
campus. If you have any ideas, questions
or concerns, feel free to contact the
Coordinator of Intramurals Joe Deck at
deckj@newpaltz.edu.

The New Paltz Oracle

Andrew Wyrich
Copy Editor
Andrew.wyrich63@newpaltz.edu
So, it’s been two weeks since the
Mets started their season, and already
my optimism is beginning to run thin.
During Spring Training, I decided to
dismiss the negative press and secretly
hoped that my favorite team could surprise me. But just as I feared, the dreaded 2009 season and the depression that
came along with it, seems to be far from
over.
I can recall the exact moment the
optimism meter inside my head finally
sputtered and hit empty – it was on Sunday when Johan Santana gave up a grand
slam to Josh Willingham of the Washington Nationals in the first inning. Yes,
my frazzled inner voice thought, THAT
Santana. Santana, who is supposed to be
the one sure thing the Mets have, the one
person they know they can count on, and
was supposed to be the beacon of hope
for the Mets, let me down.
Santana looked bland and devoid
of any fire when he faced the Nationals,
which has me very concerned. If Santana falters, or is anything different than
his normal, dominant self, the Mets need
to rely on the likes of John Maine and
Mike Pelfrey to perform – which, lets
face it, is not very encouraging.
Maine’s performance on Tuesday
against the Colorado Rockies was especially disturbing. I had hoped that Maine
would be able to regain his 2007 form
and provide the Mets with number two
starter numbers; however, the dreams
are beginning to become dark realities.
While I may be reacting a bit over
the top, it is still worthy of some concern. If the Mets continue to falter, drastic changes could be in order.
For one, I expect Jerry Manuel to be
fired by Memorial Day, and either Bob
Melvin or Wally Backman to replace
him for the remainder of the season.
Both Backman and Melvin were hired by
the Mets this off-season, and part of me
believes that it wasn’t purely for organizational reasons. I think both were hired
as insurance if the Mets started the season like they are. As for the off-season, I

SPORTS

Pg 13

Two Weeks in, and
I’m Already Depressed
think the Mets will interview both Backman and Melvin along with my personal
choice for the position, Bobby Valentine
and former Indians manager Eric Wedge
for the top job, and in the end they will
make the wrong choice and hire someone not named Bobby Valentine.
As for the trading deadline, I expect
the Mets to entertain offers for Carlos
Beltran, and could ship him to Boston
for some pitching prospects – the Cubs
are also a possibility.
My radical side thinks the Mets
should bring up the young kids and start
over. But my practical side thinks a mix
of prospects and veterans could make
the Mets relevant again.
For example, Ike Davis should be
the Mets starting first basemen by June,
if not sooner. The current crop of first
basemen does not inspire much confidence. Mike Jacobs is horrific, and Daniel Murphy is starting to look more like
Wally Pipp everyday. Davis has been
continuing to hit the cover off the ball
in AAA, and if he continues, he will
force himself into the Mets starting
lineup. Fernando Martinez, despite his
struggles last year, is a top prospect,
and could be starting in centerfield in
2011. Jennry Mejia should be taken out
of the bullpen and placed in the rotation
– to stay. The Mets don’t need to have a
Joba Chamberlin problem like our navy
and white neighbors have in the Bronx.
If those players are mixed with
players like David Wright, Jose Reyes,
Jason Bay, Jeff Francouer and Santana, the Mets will have an interesting
team. Consider this: a lineup in 2011
of Reyes, a second basemen, David
Wright, Ike Davis, Bay, Francouer,
Martinez, Josh Thole, and a starting rotation of Santana, a No. 2 starter, Jon
Niese, Mejia, and someone like Dillon
Gee, Mike Pelfrey or a free agent signing. This mix of young players with
solid veterans could make the Mets and
extremely dangerous team, and could
make them relevant for years to come.
Hopefully my dreary thoughts are
not needed. Maybe the Mets will turn
it around over the next few weeks and
will fulfill the potential they have. But
unfortunately, being a Mets fan, I know
that they won’t, which means having a
contingency plan is not a bad idea.

Check out next week’s
column when Andrew
analyzes who will
replace Jerry Manual!
Thursday, April 15, 2010

PHOTO COURTESY OF NYSPORTSPACE.COM

Pg 14
By Pete Thompson
Sports Editor | Pthompson51@newpaltz.edu

SPORTS

The New Paltz Oracle

SOAPBOX: After the votes were tallied and the new SUNY New Paltz
hawk was named Hugo on April 8, I asked students what they thought of
the results of the vote.

Audrey Brand

Bridget Grover

Adesogi James

Tine Regula

Undecided

Theatre Tech

Biology

BFA in Sculpture

“I voted for Hugo, so
I’m happy with it.”

“I like it because it’s
kind of like ‘You go,
Hawk.’”

“I don’t really like the
name. It doesn’t sound like
a young, energetic hawk.
It’s more like an 85-year-old
man on life support.”

Baseball
April 14: Fourth-year Clinton
Boettcher helped lead the Hawks to a
3-2 week, including a split with nationally ranked No. 18 Plattsburgh State.
For the week, he had a batting average
of .500 (12-24) with six runs, three doubles, one homerun and 16 RBI. He currently leads the team in homeruns (5),
RBI (32) and his second with a average
of .365, winning SUNYAC Player of the
Week honors.
April 11: The Hawks fell today to
the Skidmore Thoroughbreds, 6-2. The
Hawks fell to 14-8 overall. The Hawks
got on the board in the eighth when
Zach Homerda led the inning off with
a double to center field and would later
score on a wild pitch.
April 10: The New Paltz Baseball
team split a double-header with nationally ranked No.18 Plattsburgh State
Cardinals. The Hawks won the first
game 14-11 and fell in the second by the
score of 15-9. The Hawks upped their
record to 14-7 overall and 2-1 in the SUNYAC. Boettcher went 4-for-6 from the
plate, including three runs and five RBI
while blasting his fifth homerun of the
year. Boettcher now leads the team in
RBI with 32.

Softball
April 10: The New Paltz Softball
team earned a hard fought split this
afternoon with the Red Dragons of
Oneonta. The Red Dragons edged out
the Hawks in game one, 3-2, but the
Hawks scored three runs in the second
and third innings of game two for a 6-4
victory.
April 7: Rose Dovi went 6-for-8
for the Hawks in the doubleheader with
seven RBI and six runs scored, including a homerun and three triples to help
the Hawks to a two-game sweep of
Mount Saint Mary College. The Hawks
improved to 11-7 overall.

Women’s Lacrosse
April 10: The New Paltz Women’s
Lacrosse team fell to the Fredonia Blue
Devils by a score of 15-6 Saturday afternoon. The Hawks fell to 1-7 overall
and 0-4 in the SUNYAC. Second-year
attacker Samantha DelGaudio led the
Hawks in scoring with two goals.
April 9: The New Paltz Women’s
Lacrosse team fell to the Buffalo State
Bengals 20-5. The Hawks fell to 1-6
overall and 0-3 in the SUNYAC. Thirdyear Brittany Bennett and second-year
Samantha DelGaudio both scored two
goals a piece. Bennett also recorded two
assists for the Hawks.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

The New Paltz Oracle

Pg 15

SPORTS

PHOTO BY FELICE BERNABO

Currently holding a 13-9 overall and 3-3 conference record, the Hawks hope to achieve their goal of coming out on top in the SUNYAC Championship.

The Softball team opened its
conference season on April 2, after
returning from Fort Myers, Fla. where
they competed in the Gene Cusis Classic,
playing six days of double headers. With
a current 13-9 overall and 3-3 conference
record, the team is remaining optimistic
and setting their sights for a higher spot
in the rankings.
Since the conference season’s start,
the team has had a string of home-field
double headers, culminating in the
most recent against the Manhattanville
Valianrs on April 14. The Hawks had a
7-0 shutout victory in first game, but lost
the second, 2-3.
“In Florida we got all the jitters out
in the beginning,” said second-year third
baseman and designated hitter Samantha
Barra.
Improving along the way, the team
had a 5-1 record for the final three days.
The trip offered quality time for the
team to prepare and play with newly

recruited first-years Melissa Liotta and
Gillian Davidoff, as well as third-year
transfer Jillian Gallagher from Division
I East Carolina
University.
The
group
also had to adjust
to the leadership
of new head
coach
Denise
Marchese.
“She
has
really
worked
hard with us
and
it
has
shown,” fourthyear
outfielder
Rose Dovi said
of
Marchese,
who came from
Division I Central
Connecticut
State. “We are a
strong team this year and plan on going
much farther than any of the previous
years in the program.”

Although fourth-year outfielder
Erin Fitzpatrick said Marchese “runs
a thight ship with strict rules,” often
involving 6 a.m.
conditioning and
nearly four hour
training sessions,
everything has a
purpose and she
always makes the
team aware of the
benefits she has
in mind.
“ H e r
attention
to
detail and overall
philosophy
for
the game is sure
to revolutionize
SUNY New Paltz
softball.
I’m
jealous of all the
underclassmen
who will have more years with her
leading our program,” Fitzpatrick said.
Dovi, who was the SUNYAC player

“I’m extremely vocal on and off the
field, and try to be
an example as to
why we all need to
work hard”

— Erin Fitzpatrick

Thursday, April 15, 2010

of the week for March 22 and currently
leads the conference with Gallagher
in hitting, said one goal is to win the
SUNYAC championship. Barra said
another is to never get swept in a game.
“I think we have a very good team
that’s well put together and has good
leadership,” Barra said. “We can only go
up from here.”
Along with Marchese, this leadership
comes from Assistant Coach John Shupe,
Pitching Coach Samantha Keltos and
the team’s three fourth-year captains
- Fitzpatrick, Melyssa Cilmi and Dale
Cornelius.
“As a team captain, I think my
responsibility is primarily to keep
the team united - 16 as one outlook,”
Fitzpatrick said. “I’m extremely vocal on
and off the field, and try to be an example
as to why we all need to work hard.”
The Hawks will hit the field again in
a double header at Plattsburgh on Friday,
April 16 at 3 p.m. This will be the team’s
first away game since the Gene Cusis
Classic in Florida.